Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Debate: Should fake meat be served in school dinners?

A Perthshire mum's petition has raised the alarm over processed meat substitutes in school meals. Let us know your thoughts in our comments section.

There's an abundance of fake meat products on the market today, but do they belong in school dinners? Image: Shutterstock
There's an abundance of fake meat products on the market today, but do they belong in school dinners? Image: Shutterstock

Perthshire mum Lauren Houstoun saw red when her son’s school phoned to say there was nothing for him on that day’s lunch menu.

Lauren and husband Andrew don’t allow their three children to eat fake meat – at home on the farm or in school dinners.

So the Blairgowrie businesswoman made a packed lunch, delivered it to the school, then got down to the business of changing the system.

Thousands of people have now signed Lauren’s online petition calling for better choices – and fewer highly-processed meat substitutes – in school meals.

Lauren and Andrew Houstoun walking through field hand in hand with three small children
Lauren and Andrew Houstoun don’t serve fake meat to children Alasdair (5), Ellen (4) and Duncan (2) at home, and they don’t want to see it in school dinners either. Image: Lauren Houstoun.
Lauren Houstoun smiling, wearing Glenkilrie Larder apron
Lauren runs Glenkilrie Larder. Image: Eilidh Robertson Photography

Critics say ultra-processed foods are linked to health problems, including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Perth and Kinross Council and its caterers insist they stick to strict nutritional rules, and these choices are fine as part of the bigger picture.

But Lauren’s crusade has struck a chord across Scotland.

So do you agree with her and the thousands who are signing her petition?

Are you satisfied with the standards in your child’s school meals?

Are you a vegan, or vegetarian? Would you rather school dinners served processed meat substitutes than the real thing?

Or do you agree with Lauren that pupils should be eating natural alternatives made from fresh local produce?

We’d love to know.

Have your say in our comments section below.

 

Conversation