How school dinners should look – and what the reality is in one Dundee primary

We have compared photographs of how Tayside school dinners should look and how they were actually served in one Dundee primary.

A concerned mum shared pictures with us revealing the reality of dinners in her child’s school – the same meals served in all Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross primaries.

The mum, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her child’s identity, was shocked to see what was being dished up in images taken by her daughter.

She asked her daughter to take the snaps after she vomited in the car on the way home and told her the chicken burger she had for lunch was pink.

The three photos, all taken on the same day, include pale chicken goujons and apparently overcooked broccoli, and a Quorn taco with rice served without the taco.

For comparison, we have placed each photo next to photos of the same dishes as presented on supplier Tayside Contract’s website.

Tayside Contracts insisted the meals pictured on the right were not representative of plated meals served in most school dining halls as this school’s arrangements mean disposable cartons are used.

It also said all dishes were temperature checked to food safety standards, and portions meet government guidelines.

But the mum said: “I don’t think that parents have any idea what kids are eating in school.

“The reason I asked my daughter to take photos was because I was concerned about what she was eating.”

Her children are always complaining that the meals taste bad or are served cold or ‘lukewarm at best’, she said.

She added: “The other day my daughter said ‘my meal was really nice today and it was hot’, like it was a surprise. That shouldn’t be a surprise.”

Other parents have told her they choose to send their kids in with packed lunches instead of taking the free school dinners they are entitled to, she said.

Many low income families cannot afford to make that choice, particularly with the rising cost of living.

The mum said: “I feel sorry for the kids who don’t have that option and the ones for who this is their only hot meal of the day.

“I’m just asking for a bit more love and passion to be put into the food, and consider the kids who really need this meal.”

Tayside Contracts – which provides services including school catering to Dundee City, Angus and Perth and Kinross councils – mass produces school meals in an off-site kitchen then delivers them to schools throughout Tayside for reheating.

A spokeswoman said the colour of the chicken goujons in the pupil’s photograph differs from that in the pictorial menu because it is a different product but the website has not been updated.

We share your concern about the broccoli…”

Tayside Contracts spokeswoman.

And even when cooked and the core temperature reached, the chicken burger still has a ‘slightly pink tinge’, she said.

She said all dishes are temperature checked and recorded as part of the internationally-recognised HACCP – Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point – food safety system.

She said: “Unfortunately, at [this] school’s request lunches are served in the classroom setting, therefore disposable containers are used.

“We share your concern about the broccoli, but unfortunately items like broccoli continue to steam when served in this type of container.

We will however review the cooking time for vegetables in this particular school…”

Tayside Contracts spokeswoman

“We will however review the cooking time for vegetables in this particular school due to the unique service arrangements.”

Portion sizes are in line with Scottish Government recommendations, she said, and tacos served separately in this school due to eating in classrooms.

She continued: “The presentation of the dishes in the images is not typical of plated school meals served in the dining hall, and reflects the challenges associated with the unique arrangements in this school.

“We engage in pupil and parent consultation during our menu development process as far as possible, and we are proud of the appetising and nutritious meals we serve.”

Tayside Contracts encouraged anyone with issues regarding school meals to report to the school catering team at the time so that they can be rectified and batch traced if necessary.

Our comparison comes just over a year after we asked a nutritionist to look at Tayside primary school meals, prompted by photographs shown to us by a disgusted mum. Menus have changed since then.