School meals branch out
School meals staff in Clwyd have been given the freedom to run their kitchens as independent businesses and to offer more varied meals, replacing the previous standardised menus.
In addition, each school in the county is being encouraged to offer its catering services to local community centres and old people's homes.
The changes are a bid to stem falling meal uptake in schools and to raise money for the county's loss-making direct service organisation (DSO), Commercial Services.
They were suggested in a report by consultancy Competition Advice, which looked at the reasons behind the £1.6m loss made by Commercial Services in 1993-94.
The multi-function DSO has been split up, with its school meals division brought under the control of the county's education department (Caterer, 30 June).
