SCHOOL caterers have declared war on unnecessary food miles by ordering as much as possible from local growers.

Under new contracts, 70 per cent of the food dished up to pupils by the North Yorkshire school meals service will have come from local producers.

The county council's catering arm, which provides 16,500 school dinners daily, has awarded its school fruit and vegetable contracts to three local companies.

The successful bidders are Stuarts Foods, in Scarborough, Green King of Harrogate and Skipton-based Class One Fresh produce. All buy at least half of their fruit and vegetables from within Yorkshire and have been urged by the council to boost this figure.

Last year, North Yorkshire County Caterers awarded its fresh meat contract to Ripon-based supply firm Gilmoor Foods, which buys all of its meats from the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Keith Tillbrook, North Yorkshire County Caterers manager, said: "Since the Jamie Oliver campaign, many parts of the country are still playing catch-up in trying to improve school meals and are seeing the number of pupils taking them up decline each year.

"This simply isn't the case in North Yorkshire because we have always been ahead of the game. We were dishing up healthy meals before Jamie's campaign started and so have had a head start in improving them further."

More pupils are staying for school dinners in North Yorkshire, which bucks a national trend of decline, he said.

The new contracts were welcomed by county councillor John Watson, executive member with responsibility for schools.

He said: "By being selective about the ingredients that go into our school dinners, we are making sure that we are promoting the health of the county's children.

"Now, by being selective about where those ingredients come from, we are promoting the health of the region's economy."