Ealing pupils are enjoying healthier school meals following the introduction of a new cooking process that retains more vitamins and nutrients than traditional methods.

Known as Zip 'n Steam, the process quickly cooks fresh or frozen vegetables to perfection in zipped plastic bags in the microwave, saving time, electricity, and water, while delivering tastier food of the highest nutritional value.

The method has been successfully trialled at Fielding Primary School in Ealing, and is now being rolled out to school kitchens across the borough. Fielding's kitchen is the borough's largest production kitchen. It produces 900 meals a day – 700 of which are transported to other local schools.

While the technology was the brainchild of a private company, it was Ealing Council’s schools technical manager Alan Rhodes who first thought to re-design and roll out the domestic product for industrial use in school kitchens and beyond. The idea has also caught the imagination of the London Client Catering Group – the group where London councils meet every few months to talk about current catering issues and share best practice – and many other London councils are now investigating or planning to introduce the bags to their schools.

"The quality, colour and sweetness of the vegetables is truly remarkable,” Mr Rhodes said.  "You don't use any water, and it takes less cooking time, so it will lead to major savings for schools in terms of their water use and electricity bills, and their carbon emissions.” 

Research by food technologists at Reaseheath College in Cheshire found the loss of vitamins was negligible when vegetables were cooked using Zip 'n Steam bags. It is estimated that up to 80 per cent of nutrients are lost when vegetables are boiled, and up to 50 per cent by conventional steaming.

 "I am constantly thinking about how we can improve school kitchens and school meals, and it makes me extremely happy to know that my input means already hundreds – and possibly thousands - of children will receive more vitamins and much more appealing food every day," Mr Rhodes said. "A number of local schools currently receive their meals pre-cooked and they are transported each day. Now these schools will be able to cook fresh vegetables on site, regardless of whether they have an equipped kitchen or not – all they need is a microwave, which the council will supply.” 

Mr Rhodes, who works within the council's school procurement and contracts services, is constantly inventing clever devices or adapting existing equipment to make life easier for local school children and staff. A total of 35 schools will receive new salad bars designed by Mr Rhodes over the coming weeks, and improved trolleys for storing school dining benches are now in production.  

Councillor Ian Gibb, deputy leader and cabinet member for children’s services said:

“It’s all well and good to say schools need to serve up more vegetables, but if they are boiled to an inch of their lives, most of their nutrients are lost. This new cooking process will ensure that children are served nutritionally rich and healthy food. Ealing is well ahead of the game in terms of providing healthy and nutritionally balanced school meals, and the Government’s improved standards have reinforced what we are already doing in this area.” 

 

 

September 25, 2006