DERBYSHIRE: No horsemeat in Derbyshire County Council school meals

Derbyshire County Council say parents can be reassured school meals are free from horsemeat thanks to stringent checks.

School meals provided by the authority’s school meals service use meat produced on two local organic farms.

Products are subject to a full tracing exercise, which details exactly where the beef is from, full details of the animals from which they are made and the organic accreditations of the farms.

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No ready meals are used as all dinners are fully prepared by the catering service.

Councillor Mike Longden, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “In the wake of the national concern this issue is causing I’m keen to pre-empt any worries parents might have by making it clear our school meals meet the very highest standards.

“We have a supplier who provides our fresh mince and they are subject to regular checks.

“Our school meals service itself is checked to ensure the products we use are of the right quality.

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“We work very hard to make sure our meals offer the best possible value for money to parents and never compromise on quality.”

The authority carries out random and regular checks with all suppliers to be sure everything used in school meals contains what it is supposed to.

County council trading standards officers also take yearly samples of the products used to confirm products are not contaminated.