The School Food Standards
The School Food Standards are a set of mandatory requirements designed to encourage healthy eating, promote good food habits, and ensure children receive the energy and nutrients they need during the school day.
They focus on delivering a balanced diet that includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods – particularly those often lacking in children’s diets. At the same time, the Standards place limits on foods and drinks that are high in saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
Sustainability is also a key consideration, with schools encouraged to source food responsibly in line with Government Buying Standards (GBS).
Most schools will already be familiar with the Standards – but ensuring that menus and catering provisions fully comply can be a complex task. Reviewing the nutritional content of every dish, checking allergens, managing portion sizes, and assessing the sustainability credentials of suppliers all take time and resources.
Litmus Edge
That’s where Litmus Edge – our specialist in-house food procurement and catering management system – can make a real difference. It helps schools meet the School Food Standards with ease, taking the pressure off catering teams so they can focus on what they do best: preparing great food.
Quality Food
Litmus Edge supports schools in delivering the right types of food, served at the right frequency. Often, small changes – like switching to wholegrain versions of popular staples such as pasta, rice, and bread – can significantly improve the fibre content of students’ diets.
With over 4,000 recipes preloaded, Edge includes supplier-linked nutritional and allergen information, automated menu management aligned to the School Food Standards, and compliant pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS) labelling.
Sustainability
The Standards recommend following the Sustainable Procurement: Government Buying Standards (GBS), which promote responsible sourcing. Easy wins include:
- Buying seasonal and local produce
- Increasing plant-based options
- Adding more vegetables, pulses, and grains (in place of some or all meat)
- Choosing Red Tractor-assured meat
- Ensuring all seafood is sustainably sourced and MSC certified
Edge can help identify suitable products and suppliers that support these aims, enabling schools to strengthen their sustainability credentials.
Waste Reduction
Serving the right portion sizes and managing stock effectively both contribute to reducing food waste. Litmus Edge streamlines stock management and ordering and includes built-in waste tracking and reporting tools, helping schools operate more efficiently and sustainably.
