Conwy Education Catering Department awarded Welsh Government Food in Schools Award

Conwy Education Catering Department awarded Welsh Government Food in Schools Award

Conwy County Borough Council’s Education Catering Department has been awarded the prestigious LACA (Local Authority Caterers Association) ‘Recognition of Excellence’ award sponsored by Welsh Government. This award is for the roll out of the Welsh Government Food in Schools initiative.

The LACA awards aim to recognise individuals and teams who continue to make a real difference in education catering.

In 2022, Welsh Government introduced the Universal Primary School Free School Meals (UPFSM) initiative, with the target that all primary school children would get free school meals by April 2024.

Since September 2023, seven months ahead of the target date, all children in Conwy County primary schools have been offered free school meals.

To achieve this, all school kitchens had to be upgraded. From the installation of larger combination ovens, bigger fridges and freezers, conversion from gas to electric, to a full refit was required. The total capital investment in school kitchens totalled nearly £2million.

In addition, every school kitchen managed by the Education Catering Department is now paperless. All school kitchens have had Wi-Fi installed, so they can now report the number of meals served, generate timesheets, send repair requests, and communicate directly with Education Services.

Cllr Julie Fallon, Conwy’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “I am really proud of this fantastic achievement from our dedicated and hardworking school catering team. Congratulations to everyone involved.

“Across Conwy, thousands of meals are provided for our children every school day. It’s great to see the team recognised for their commitment to always delivering the best quality and service. They should be very proud of what they do, and this award recognises that.”