School Meals

Our School Meal Service

Our catering service provides nutritious, good-value school meals that support children's health, wellbeing and learning.

We serve more than 2,000 lunches each day across our nursery, primary and secondary schools. All menus are planned in line with the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations, ensuring meals meet nationally agreed nutritional standards.

All schools offer two main meal choices each day, including a vegetarian option. While nutritional standards are the primary consideration when planning menus, meal uptake information is also reviewed to help retain popular dishes such as fish and chips, sausage rolls, chicken goujons and homemade pizza.

More than 85% of our menu is freshly prepared using high-quality ingredients that are GM-free and contain no undesirable E-numbers or hydrogenated fats.

Supporting local produce

We are committed to using locally sourced produce wherever possible. This helps support the local economy, reduces food miles, and contributes to environmental sustainability.

We currently source:

Fish from local wholesalers
Milk from Shetland Farm Dairies
Bread and rolls that are homemade or supplied by local bakeries
Locally produced eggs in many schools
Locally grown vegetables, including produce grown within schools
Shetland lamb when available

Why choose school meals?

Our school meals offer a range of benefits:

Provide around one third of a child's daily nutritional requirements
Support growth, development and concentration in school
Encourage healthy eating habits from an early age
Offer a safe and social dining environment
Meet the Scottish Government's nutritional standards
Save time preparing packed lunches

We also provide:

A varied daily menu with plenty of choice
Fresh fruit available every day
Water available with all meals
At least one vegetarian option each day
Support for medically prescribed and special diets, where possible

Our meals represent excellent value for money and are prepared daily by our dedicated and experienced catering staff.

Nutritional standards for food and drink in schools

All school meals provided by Shetland Islands Council comply with the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations, which came into force on 8 April 2021.

These regulations set standards for the food and drinks available throughout the school day, including limits on sugar, saturated fat, and red and processed meat. Our menus are carefully planned to ensure they provide children and young people with approximately one-third of their daily nutritional requirements.

For more information about the standards that apply to different age groups, see: