§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance has been issued to local education authorities in relation to the(a) cost and (b) quality of free school meal provision; [162078]
(2) what guidelines he has issued to assist schools and local education authorities in assessing the nutritional value of school meals. [162093]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe Department for Education and Skills has produced guidance entitled 'Healthy School Lunches' for school caterers on implementing national nutritional standards, the standards apply to both free and paid for meals. Annex cii of the guidance provides details to caterers on how to assess the nutritional value of school meals. The guidance can be viewed on the website: www.dfes.gov.uk/schoollunches. In addition, the Secretary of State recommends that the value of a free school meal should be set to enable children to have a standard two course lunch and drink.