We work in partnership with Forth Valley Health Services and Education to produce guidance on the different types of special diets which may be required. Our policy and guidance to educational establishments on the Provision of Medically Prescribed Diets, contains guidance for parents/guardians and staff and also the Special Diet Referral forms that must be completed for each child for every school year.
If you have any concerns about your child's dietary needs, please contact your headteacher who will be happy to discuss your requirements with you and the school Catering team. A menu plan can be organised along with NHS dieticians.
Food Allergen Rules
The EU Food Information for Consumers Regulations for allergens and food labelling means there’s now a legal requirement for food allergen information to be available at the point of sale for all consumers of food. The EU legislation has listed 14 allergens that need to be identified and if they are used as ingredients/carbohydrates in a dish. As a food business serving non-packaged foods we will supply information for every item on our menu that contains any of the 14 allergens.
The 14 allergens are:
- Celery
- Gluten
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Lupin
- Milk
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Nuts
- Peanuts
- Sesame Seeds
- Soya
- Sulphur Dioxide
We have displayed an awareness poster in prominent positions in all dining rooms. If you have special dietary requirements or allergies and need to know more about ingredients/carbohydrates, please email the catering at educ-comments@stirling.gov.uk.
An A4 poster listing the 14 allergens is displayed in the dining room next to the awareness poster.
Catering staff have been issued quick reference guides allowing them to check if a menu item has a particular allergen and school kitchens have a binder of all recipes to identify if they contain an allergen.
Labelling of food sold prepacked for direct sale in our schools
After October 2021 the requirements for labelling food sold PPDS (pre packed for Direct Sale) changed in Scotland. The new labelling helps inform and protect consumers and give them confidence in the food they buy by providing ingredient and allergen information on the packaging.
PPDS food is any food that has been partially or completely enclosed with packaging in a way that the contents of the food cannot be altered.
All PPDS foods must display a label with
- the name of the food
- a full ingredients list
- allergen information in bold from the 14 declarable allergen list
Labels must comply with the Food Information (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (as amended) and Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on the Provision of Food Information.