Our core menu cycle which is sent out in Saffron meets the nutrient requirements but if you use the menu selector to make changes to your menu these will effect the nutrient balance. The changes you make could result in too little or too much of a particular nutrient.

Saffron provides the tools to search for dishes by nutrient, the Nutrient Comparison tool. It can search for dishes using up to two nutrient requirements e.g. a dessert low in NMEs but high in iron. This will enable you to search the menu for recipes that are too high/ low in a specific nutrient and replace them with recipes that help reduce/ increase that nutrient.  It can also search for dishes by cost. Please see Saffron training manual for guidance. Select dishes use fresh meat and mainly fresh vegetables and slightly larger portions of vegetables and some carbohydrates. Choice dishes use frozen meat and frozen vegetables. Remember to take into consideration colours, textures and flavours of foods. Avoid repetition of colours and flavours. Different colours on a plate will not only make the dish more appealing to children, but also provide a variety of nutrients, for example vitamin A in orange carrots and zinc  in green peas. Avoid repetition of foods, even healthier foods. Children still require a variety of food even though nutrients maybe higher in some foods then others. Iron, calcium, folate and zinc are the most common nutrients to be low in a Secondary school lunch menu. Check you have considered the following before changing the Core Menu. Iron is essential for preventing anaemia. It is recommended that at least 3 portions of red meat are available per week to meet the required iron intake levels. Check that these dishes are available and popular options. Calcium is essential for the growth and strength of bones and teeth. Therefore it should be made available in some form each day, whether it’s a glass of milk, cheese in a vegetarian dish or a milky dessert. Folate is essential in the formation of blood cells. Avoid putting foods rich in folate on the same day. Choose more popular foods and spread throughout the week. Wholewheat pasta contains folate, iron and zinc so ensure all pasta dishes contain at least 50% wholewheat pasta and 50% white pasta. Zinc is important to ensure normal functioning of the body. When creating a menu ensure you don’t have two vegetables on the same day that are rich in zinc, e.g. peas and broccoli contain the most zinc therefore put them on separate days. The nutrient rich table within this document highlights food rich in each nutrient. Remember the Nutrient Comparison tool in Saffron can assist you in finding out the nutritional content of specific foods.