Lid lifted on lunchbox nasties

Pupils and parents were given a crash course on hidden nasties found in some popular lunchbox foods by nutritionist Paula Godfrey, who visited St Aidan’s School, Northern Moor to share her expertise.

Paula, who works as a nutritionist for Manchester Fayre, Manchester City Council's school meals provider, was invited to visit the school by catering managers Janet McKinney and Maureen Jackson. They worked with the school to arrange this special coffee morning for parents and their children as part of Manchester Fayre's wider commitment to educating people about the importance of a good diet and to help clear-up some of the confusion about what really goes into our food.

Armed with her box of tricks, Paula showed her attentive audience the average fat, salt and sugar content of many favourite foods typically used for packed lunches including sugary drinks, cheese based snacks, crisps and sweets, and some were shocked with the results.

Councillor Bernard Priest, Executive Member for Finance and Human Resources with a responsibility for school meals at Manchester City Council said: "With today's clever packaging and marketing it is not always clear that certain foods may not be entirely good for us or our children so we are trying to educate families on this matter so that they can make informed choices on what they eat."

All meals served in school dining rooms have to meet strict government standards regarding the amounts of fat, salt and sugar permitted, a point emphasized by Paula during her talk and followed up by Janet and Maureen who then shared samples of the new menu for September for everyone to enjoy.

Councillor Priest added: "We pride ourselves on the wide choice of nutritious and tasty food available in our school canteens. By opting for school dinners, parents can be assured their children are eating a balanced meal and that they are also making a considerable financial saving."

Manchester Fayre's school meals still comes in at well under two pounds per day, including a drink and pudding, considerably less than the items making up the average packed lunch.

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