To improve school meals there should be more cold foods and maybe they should try sticking to simple foods rather that trying complicated ones and getting the wrong.
The school meal appeal is our project. The school dining hall wants to introduce a new pasta range. We have to design and make a suitable dish.
History of school meals
Less than 100 years ago, parliament gave the local government power and money to provide meals for schools. In 1944, the Education Act made sure that school meals were available to every child whose parents wished to pay for one. By 1965, there was a fixed price for meals and nutritional guidelines were introduced on a national basis. Children sat together at a table and ate a hot meal regardless of family income. For many it was the only cooked meal eaten in the day. In 1980, the Education Act no longer had to provide school meals, except for those qualifying for free meals because they could not afford it. Later that year, the nutritional/health guidelines were cancelled.
In 1980, the Local Education Authority (LEA)stopped giving free meals because of people’s incomes. By 1988 the Social Security Act saw another 400 000 children lose their free meals. Children had to rely on a packed meal from home or their local take-aways.
The meals uptake in 1974 was 64% of the school’s population. By 1988, it had dropped to 47%.
5% of all children left home without breakfast and snacked on junk food throughout the day. Children spent an average and £220.5 million in a school year of 190 days.
Pasta types
There are many types of pasta and it would be impossible for me to name all of them, but here are the most commonly used pasta types and their other names (if the have any):
Campanile (flutes)
Cannelloni
Cappelletti (little hats)
Casarecce (Gamelli)
Cavatappi (cork screws)
Conchidlie (shells)
Couscous
Ditali
Farfalle
Fettucine (small ribbons)
Fiorelli
Fusilli (twists)
Lasagne
Lingwini (thin narrow ribbons)
Macaroni
Orecchiette (little ears)
Paglia e fiens (green and yellow noodles)
Penne
Pappardelle
Pipe (elbow macaroni)
Ravioli
Riccioli
Rigatoni
Spaghetti
Taglianni
tortellini
trenette
togliatelle
vermicelli
Pasta Dishes
There are many different types of pasta dishes so I can only name the most common ones:
Cannelloni
Lasagne
Ratatouille
Spaghetti bolognaise
Rigatoni with three cheeses
Spaghetti alla carbonara
Tagliarini
Tagliatelle with a sauce
Neapolitan pasta
Ravioli
Farfalle with tuna and coriander
Parpadelle with a sauce
Vegetarian lasagne
Macaroni cheese
There are many points to consider when making a school meal.
Pupils likes and dislikes. Students have to like what they eat otherwise they wont eat it. But not everyone will like the same thing . this is why research must be done and school meals must have a variety.
The meals should be main meals and must be filling enough to satisfy the pupils appetites, otherwise it would defeat the point of school meals.
Another thing that would defeat the point of school meals is the nutritional value. If the food at the school cafeterias are not healthy, then students might as well eat at the local take-aways and eat junk food like chips and hotdogs.
School meals have to fit the school population. If there was too much food, money would be wasted and if there was too little, not everyone would get enough or any.
The costs of school meals should be efficient. If the costs were too high not many people would eat school meals and if they were too low the school cafeteria workers would not make a profit and there probably would not have enough money to buy the food in the first place.
Research and development
When making a pasta dish for the school cafeteria there are many points to consider and so research must be done. A questionnaire was carried out. This would help show what peoples likes and dislikes about school meals and pasta in general. This would help decide what to put in the dishes. For example : whether people prefer vegetables or meat, hot or cold pasta and how much they are willing to pay.
Spray diagrams were drawn to show the points to be considered when: making a pasta dish for a school cafeteria and the pasta dish in general. Like the amount, the nutritional value, etc…
Questionnaire
(1) Do you like the school meals in the school cafeteria?
Yes
No |||| ||
(2) How much are you willing to pay for school meals?
More than £1.00 |||
Less than £1.00 |||
(3) Do you eat in the school cafeteria often?
Yes |||| ||
no
(4) Do you like hot or cold meals better?
Yes ||||
No |||
(5) Do you like the pasta in the school cafeteria?
Yes
No |||| ||
(6) Do you like pasta?
Yes |||| |
No |
(7) Would you like a new kind of pasta in the school cafeteria?
Yes |||| |
No |
(8) Do you like seafood?
Yes |||| |
No
(9) Would you like seafood in the pasta dish or not?
Yes |||| |
No |
(10) What kind of pasta do you like?
Spaghetti |||
Penne ||||
Macaroni
Ravioli
