In 2003 Stirling Council adopted the Scottish Executive's initiative Hungry for Success which set out recommendations aimed at improving the nutritional content and balance of the food on offer to young people in schools.

First to be targeted were our Primary Schools and in 2004 we introduced new menus across this sector.

We knew, however, that secondary schools were always going to be a tougher task especially considering these national statistics.

• Nearly 50% of children under the age of 16 are having fizzy drinks every day.
• 83% of children under the age of 16 are not eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
• 42% of children under the age of 16 regularly skip breakfast.
• Only 12% of teenage girls get enough calcium in their diets.

At Stirling Council we are committed to constantly introduce new products and improve our school meals service. That's why we have created new brands for secondary schools that will entice our pupils and positively encourage them to choose the healthy options that we have on offer.

We recognise that it can sometimes be difficult to persuade children to take school meals. Whether this is because of peer presure or choice; but research does show that pupils' behaviour and concentration definitely improve when they take a balanced meal at lunchtime. One of our main aims is to encourage children to eat more fruit, more vegetables and less fatty foods. In this way we can influence the eating habits of children and help them to understand the long-term health benefits of a balanced diet.

At Stirling Council our new brands will highlight a superb new choice of school menus from home-made soups to delicious sandwiches, superb hot meals as well as baked potatoes, salads and fruits. We will always try to accommodate the majority of tastes and there's always a vegetarian option on offer every day.

As a professional catering organisation we have stringent quality controls to ensure that every product we use is of the highest standard and is stored in the correct conditions. A balanced diet is also important and in the web site you will find a sample menu giving you an indication of the range of value for money meals avaliable in our secondary schools.