Shire Services Achieves Two National Accreditations for Healthier School Food
Shire Services has achieved SugarWise Gold Accreditation and has been awarded the ProVeg School Plates Bronze Award, recognising its commitment to providing nutritious, balanced and sustainable school meals.
The two accreditations focus on different aspects of school food provision but share a common goal of supporting healthier eating habits for children. Together, they provide independent endorsement of Shire Services’ ongoing work to develop menus that support pupil wellbeing while remaining appealing to children.
Shire Services is helping schools provide nutritious, appealing and sustainable meals
Sugarwise Gold Accreditation recognises caterers that meet government guidelines on free sugars. Free sugars are the sugars and sweeteners that should be limited within the diet because they can contribute to obesity and tooth decay. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, the Sugarwise programme operates in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Shire Services achieved the accreditation for its school menu, reflecting its focus on healthier desserts, nutritious snack alternatives, daily salad options and menu development that supports better food choices for children.
The accreditation also recognises Shire Services’ efforts to ensure no more than 10% of calories come from free sugars across its menu in an average week.
Andy Hall, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Education, said:
“These national accreditations are a well-deserved recognition of Shire Service’s commitment to providing nutritious and popular meals for school children of all ages.
“A balanced diet is so important to healthy development, giving children the opportunity to thrive and achieve their potential, in school and beyond. Well done to the team at Shire Services for striving to create school menus full of healthy choices.”
Susan Vuli, General Manager of Shire Services, said:
“We are delighted to receive both the Sugarwise Gold Accreditation and the ProVeg School Plates Bronze Award.
“Supporting children’s health and wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do. Our teams work hard to create menus that are nutritious, balanced and enjoyable for pupils, while encouraging positive eating habits that can last a lifetime.
“These accreditations demonstrate our ongoing commitment to offering healthier choices, reducing sugar, increasing plant-rich options and continually developing our menus in line with best practice.
“We are incredibly proud of everyone involved in achieving these recognitions and of the positive impact they help us deliver for the schools, pupils and communities we serve.”
The second accreditation highlights Shire Services’ work to increase plant-rich options and support more sustainable school food.
Alongside achieving Sugarwise Gold Accreditation, Shire Services has also received the ProVeg School Plates Bronze Award. The award recognises caterers making meaningful progress towards healthier and more sustainable school menus by increasing the availability of nutritious plant-rich dishes and encouraging climate-friendly food choices.
Working with the School Plates programme, Shire Services has continued to expand the range of dishes featuring vegetables, pulses, beans, lentils and wholegrains across its menus. Many recipes incorporate additional vegetables and plant-based ingredients to increase fibre, nutritional value and plant diversity while remaining appealing to pupils.
Rend Platings, founder of Sugarwise, said:
“There are still no legal limits on the amount of sugar, fat or salt that children consume at school, or targets for protein, fibre and other essential nutrients. We hope this will be addressed in the revised School Food Standards, set to be published before the end of September.
“Shire Services, part of Shropshire Council, is among a handful of caterers not only leading the way but excelling in the nutrient content of their children’s menus. Their achievement demonstrates what can be done now, ahead of the new standards taking effect from September 2027.”
The ProVeg School Plates Award also recognises the role plant-rich menus can play in supporting both health and sustainability.
Alex Jemison, School Plates Awards Manager at ProVeg UK, said:
“We are delighted to recognise Shire Services for achieving the ProVeg School Plates Bronze Award for their 2026-2027 menu. Against this year’s challenging, changeable backdrop, Shire Services has demonstrated true leadership.
“Their latest menu shows that taking meaningful climate action doesn’t have to come at the expense of affordability or pupil appeal, with dishes such as BBQ Pulled Quorn Tacos and Spanish Paella alongside the classics. On their website, the human and planetary benefits of plant-rich menus are clearly communicated.
“Well done to Shire Services for their continued hard work and forward thinking.”
Together, these accreditations reflect Shire Services’ ongoing focus on continually improving its school food offer, helping schools provide nutritious, appealing and sustainable meals that support both pupil wellbeing and positive dining experiences.
