Southwark Council’s £8m flag ship policy of ‘free school dinners for all’

is back in the news.

The recent stories of horse meat being labelled as beef has shocked many.

For many this is inconvenient, but for some, this goes right to the heart of our faith.
Southwark serves food to other groups like vulnerable adults, and of course our older people,
they too are entitled to know what they are eating.

I wrote to the Councillor in charge of children’s services,
asking her that she check that our schools are not serving meat which is incorrectly labelled.

Southwark News reported the story, making the front page.
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Southwark News

Muslims and Jewish communities are likely to be most affected.

I have asked that if a supplier cannot be trusted, because they have been shown to be unreliable,
they are dropped from Southwark’s list of approved suppliers.

I wrote:
Everyone deserves to know what food they are being served?.
In Southwark, with such a diverse population, it is especially important that our children are  able to enjoy food that satisfies both their hunger, and their diet.
Many of us have restricted diets because of our beliefs, and all departments of the council should be able to respect those needs.
Caterers must recognise that some types of food are unacceptable for many members of our community,
and Southwark should be leading the way in sourcing appropriate food for our young people.
I hope that Southwark can confirm that if suppliers have misled us they will not be used in future.

Finally I would recommend one great food supplier,
Mick, who sells good fresh vegetables at Market Place in The Blue.
I’ve been shopping there for years, the closest we came to a food crisis was that one of his avocados was a bit firm . *

*but he swapped it for a softer one