Menu Analysis

To improve the nutritional quality of school meals the School Meals Review Panel recommended that in addition to the food based standards, nutrient based standards should also be set.

Since September 2008 for primary schools and from September 2009 for secondary schools, lunch menus will have to meet nutrient based standards as well as food based standards. The nutrient standards specify the levels of a number of nutrients such as protein, calcium and iron, that a school lunch should provide.

These new standards require catering providers and schools to carefully analyse their menus to ensure they meet the nutrient standards over a period of five consecutive school days. In order to make menus meet the standards caterers may have to look at adapting recipes so they use healthier ingredients and cooking methods.

Review of Menu Analysis Software Packages:
To support schools and caterers in Leeds the School Meals Team conducted a review of menu analysis software packages. The team completed an audit of all available nutrient analysis packages. The review identified Dietsure as Leeds preferred choice to procure menu analysis software. Schools that have opted out and choose to procure Dietsure as their menu analysis package were offered to attend a training event provided by the School Meals Team (SMT) in October and November 2007 on how to use Dietsure.

The School Food Trust have produced a publication entitled 'An independent review: Nutritional analysis support packages for school lunches - A guide to current models'.

The guide is also available on their website:

The purpose of this School Food Trust guide is to help schools and caterers to determine the type of nutritional analysis support that they require and how this can be accessed. Nine different models of support are described, seven of which are illustrated with case studies. A supplemental pullout chart is also available. This lists companies providing nutritional analysis support packages and includes the key characteristics of their support package. The guide and the chart will be particularly useful for head teachers, governors and school catering managers providing catering in-house or using a small private caterers.

For help in meeting the standards and for information please click below:

Nutrient based standards

Alternatively, to view the complete ‘Guide to the nutrient-based standards’ please click below:

Guide to the nutrient-based standards

The School Food Trust has produced this guide to assist everyone involved in the provision of school food. It provides information on how to meet, implement and monitor the Government’s food-based and nutrient-based standards for school lunches.
This guide has been updated to include three secondary school case studies showing the steps these schools took to meet the nutrient-based standards and the lessons learned.

The individual nutrient standards can be viewed by clicking on 14 nutrient-based standards for school lunches and this guide is broken down into sections in the following document: Guide to the nutrient-based standards in detail

What is the governing body’s responsibility with regard to school meals?
For further information about the role of Governors please see below:

A strategic policy framework for governing bodies