Fife Council is to experiment with new school dinner menus after pupils called for more variety.
Youngsters said they wanted to see more Chinese, Italian and American food, especially chips, on their lunch plates.
And they also want bigger portions, with almost two thirds of pupils saying they felt hungry at the end of the day after eating a school meal.
Pupils at Beath and Lochgelly high schools were surveyed in 2019, before the Covid pandemic hit.
The results of the consultation are now being worked on.
And once new menus are complete, parents will be invited into schools for tasting sessions so they know what’s on offer.
Requests for more burgers, pasta and noodles
At present, Fife high school pupils can choose a set menu offering two courses for £2.40.
Or they can pick from a cafeteria menu of filled rolls, panini, pizza and baked potatoes.
Of those surveyed at Beath and Lochgelly high schools, 53% said they had a school meal most days.
Many of them requested more burgers, pizza, pasta, rice or noodles.
Portion sizes were another issue, with 60% saying they felt hungry at the end of the day after eating a school dinner.
That compared to 45% of those buying food at a local shop and 23% of those having a packed lunch.
Almost 60% of pupils at the two schools rated the taste of food on offer as adequate or poor, with just 28% saying it was good or very good.
Meanwhile, only 27% said the variety was good or very good, and 34% approved of the portion sizes.
New Fife school dinner will still be nutritious
Fife Council’s facilities management head, Tariq Ditta, said the food on offer at both schools was generally well received.
He added, however: “The service is developing new menu offerings and is largely receptive and responsive to the needs and wants of pupils and parents.”
Mr Ditta also gave an assurance that all new meals would still meet 14 nutritional standards laid down by the Scottish Government.
These include ensuring deep fried food is limited to no more than three portions a week.
Education spokeswoman agrees with pupils’ views
Fife Council’s education spokeswoman Kathleen Leslie welcomed the survey results.
She said: “If that’s what the kids are saying, I would agree with them.
“The variety is often not very good and we need to modernise when it comes to school dinners.
“When I was at school we would get bog standard mince and potatoes and things like that.
“But now more people are vegetarian and religious requirements also need to be taken into account.
“If pupils are still hungry, is it because they’re not enjoying what’s on their plate or because there’s not enough of it?
“It’s important we get their views because they’re the ones eating it.”
Conversation