Sustainable school meals

Sustainable school catering is about meeting the needs of today’s pupils while safeguarding the wellbeing of future generations.

At Torfaen School Meals, we believe that every decision we make should support the long-term interests of our pupils and the wider community. Sustainability is therefore at the heart of our approach, helping us deliver nutritious, affordable meals while reducing our environmental impact.

We recognise that sustainability is a complex and evolving journey rather than a quick fix. Meaningful change takes time, commitment, and continuous improvement. As a team, we are dedicated to making steady progress and are committed to being transparent about both our achievements and the areas where further development is needed. We believe in setting realistic, measurable targets and reporting openly on our progress.

Since 2023, our sustainability achievements have been captured and regularly updated within our Sustainability Journey Roadmap. The work undertaken so far has been recognised through multiple national awards, reflecting the dedication and innovation of our catering team.

While we are proud of what has been achieved, we know there is always more to do. Sustainability is not a destination but an ongoing commitment, and we will continue to seek new opportunities to improve our service and lessen our environmental impact.

Understanding the Carbon Footprint of School Meals

During 2023 and 2024, we worked alongside a Professor from the University of Edinburgh to assess the carbon footprint of our primary school menus.

By introducing two significant changes, recycling food waste and providing all pupils with an additional vegetarian or vegan choice each day, we successfully reduced carbon emissions by approximately one third per kilogram of food served. Importantly, these environmental benefits were achieved while increasing the range of meal choices available to pupils.

The analysis also identified further opportunities for improvement, and we have continued to build on this work. Through ongoing recipe development, we are reducing the carbon footprint of many of our most popular dishes without compromising on quality, taste, or nutritional standards.

As a result, some of the highest-emitting dishes on our 2023 menu have significantly lower carbon footprints today. For example:

• Our revised Spaghetti Bolognese recipe has reduced carbon emissions by more than one third
• Changes to our meatball recipe have reduced carbon emissions associated with that dish by approximately 70%

Supporting informed choices

Offering choice will always remain a key principle of school meals in Torfaen. We will never dictate what pupils should or should not eat. However, we believe it is important that pupils have access to information that enables them to make informed choices if they wish to do so.

Using the independent analysis of our recipes undertaken by the University of Edinburgh, we have introduced a symbol, designed by pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Cwmbrân, to identify lower-carbon meal choices. These meals have been verified as producing 1.5kg CO₂e or less per kilogram of food served.

This rating is based on detailed analysis of Torfaen's own recipes rather than generic industry data, ensuring the information provided is relevant and accurate to our menus.

To support understanding, information posters are displayed in dining halls explaining the symbol and its meaning, helping pupils make informed choices about their meals.

Working together

We are committed to listening to the views of our pupils and welcome ideas about how our sustainability journey can continue to evolve.

If you have suggestions about areas we should focus on in the future, please contact: louise.gillam@torfaen.gov.uk

After all, sustainability is about protecting the future, and that future belongs to our pupils.