Posted on: Wednesday 6 December 2023
The winners of Torfaen Catering Service's Waste Warriors competition have enjoyed learning how cook healthy food and help reduce food waste.
Woodland Primary School's Eco Committee won first prize after they reduced their school's food waste by 29 per cent.
They won a full day healthy eating session for 16 pupils with food training company Cooking Together during which they made vegetarian wraps and pizzas and fruity desserts.
Pupil Billie-Jo said: "I was so proud that Woodlands won the competition! Our prize was cooking healthy food and it was incredible."
Payton said: "The cooking was so fun and the food was delicious and also very healthy."
Deputy headteacher Claire Gratton added: "We are so proud of our ethically informed citizens, who consistently show their commitment to address current issues such as food waste and dedicate their time and efforts to promote sustainability not only within our school, but within the wider community.
"Our Eco representatives were overwhelmed to have won the competition and thoroughly enjoyed their prize cooking session. The session undoubtedly inspired them to think about how their families can produce healthy meals at a low cost."
Blenheim Road and Coed Eva Primary School were chosen runners-up and each received a half-day lesson.
Coed Eva Primary School pupil Daniel James said: "I enjoyed learning how to cook and how to make food more healthier.
Thirteen primary schools took part in the competition to reduce the amount of food waste thrown away at lunchtime, reducing their food waste by an average of 20 per cent.
The schools were provided with a set of weighing scales to help monitor how much and what type of food was being thrown away and resources to help them encourage pupils to finish their meals.
Councillor Mandy Owen, Executive Member for the Environment, said: “It's Wales Climate Week and reducing food waste is something we can all do to save money and protect the environment.
“I would like to thank all the schools for getting involved. Learning about reducing food waste at such an early age is so important, and I was delighted to hear the results."
The idea for the competition came from the launch of a Torfaen Council food waste collection service for primary schools last year.
The prizes and weighing scales were funded by the Food4Growth programme. Torfaen School Catering Management team provided funding for the runners up additional prize due to the number of excellent entries. The Healthy Schools and Play Team also donated gifts.
Find out more about how the School Catering Team is working hard to meet the needs of today’s pupils without damaging opportunities for the future here.
Find out more about primary school catering.