HEREFORDSHIRE has joined a new school food standards pilot project in a bid to give children better meals and better health.

The Food Standards Agency and Department for Education has announced that 18 local authorities, including Herefordshire Council, are taking part in a School Food Standards compliance pilot project this academic year.

The pilot aims to design and test a new approach in supporting schools to comply with the existing school food standards.

The project will find out if food safety officers are also able to raise instances of non-compliance with the school food standards when carrying out regular hygiene inspections in schools.

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This research will help inform the role the council could play in assuring compliance with the standards so that the food served in schools delivers the best possible health outcomes for children.

A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said it is committed to ensuring that children have access to healthier and more nutritious food at school and actively supports projects that encourage children and young people to build better eating habits.

Matt Pearce, Herefordshire's director of public health, said: "School food is more important than ever. We want to make sure that we are supporting schools in Herefordshire in the best way to comply with school food standards.

"In addition to promoting good oral health in young children and supporting the Herefordshire Food Charter in our commitment to the county becoming a sustainable food place, this pilot will help us further explore how we can give our children the best start in life, ensuring nutritious food is available to help them grow, develop and learn.

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Mr Pearce said he looks forward to working with the department to help shape how councils up and down the country can better ensure school food standards compliance.

Professor Susan Jebb, Food Standards Agency chair, said: "Schools play a crucial role in providing children with healthy food to help them concentrate and thrive in the classroom and beyond.

"We all want to ensure that the food served in schools meets the standards that have been set.

"This project will give insight into what's happening in schools today and identify whether additional support is needed to help them to do the very best they can for children and drive positive change in the school food system."