Five companies have been awarded school meals contracts by Kent CC, in a deal worth £8m. The five contractors – Whole School Meals, Principals, Total Catering Solutions, Scolarest and Eden, will provide meals for a total of 370 schools across the county. Whole School Meals was created by parents, governors and local businesses to cater for the Deal and Sandwich area. ‘Our company has clear values,’ said one of its founders, Stephanie Hayman. ‘We must be commercially viable in order to survive and thrive, to provide great food for the children, which supports their health and wellbeing and that sources local produce whenever possible. ‘We will always remain close to the local community of schools, parents and children, and consult with them about our activities and key decisions.’ A number of schools will continue to provide their own catering. Cabinet member for education and school improvement, Cllr John Simmonds, said: ‘We take this process very seriously and have been strict in making sure the contractors strike the right balance. ‘The menus must be sustainable and meet our award-winning, high nutritional standards.’
