The Healthy Living Award is a national award for the foodservice sector in Scotland. The award is managed and delivered by NHS Health Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government. The award forms an integral part of the Scottish Government’s route map to prevent overweight and obesity. The award criteria are based on the general principles of a healthy balanced diet and have been developed to be in keeping with Scottish dietary targets.
To achieve this prestigious award Loretto School has to demonstrate that a wide range of healthy food options is available across the entire menu (at least 50% of all choices must be able to be described as ‘healthy options’). In addition their catering team has to demonstrate that it uses healthy cooking practices such as: reducing the salt and sugar content in meals; steaming, grilling and poaching food in preference to deep fat or shallow frying; and using unsaturated fats in preference to saturated fats.
Jonathan Hewat, director of external affairs at Loretto School, said: ‘We are delighted with this accolade which reflects the dedication of our catering team. Unlike many other schools, we do not contract-out our catering. We have our own team of catering staff who take great interest and genuine care to ensure that the children and staff at Loretto are offered a balanced and healthy diet.’
