HEALTHY food is being promoted at hundreds of schools in North Yorkshire under a new five-year catering contract.

Less fat, salt, sugar and processed foods will be available in the county's 312 primary and six special schools, while there will be more fibre, fruit, vegetables and salad, according to the county council.

To try to stem the increase in obesity that afflicts many young people, menus will be rich in vitamins, protein and fibre and low in foods that contribute to weight gain.

From this month, the primary school catering contract became the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council's direct services organisation, County Caterers.

It will serve more than 18,000 two-course school lunches each day for £1.42p (£7.10p per week).

In a new move, its operations will be overseen by a catering board comprising four county councillors, two primary school headteachers, a governor, a secondary school head, a catering employee, a Unison representative, a senior county council officer and the general manager of County Caterers.

The board will meet at least three times a year.

To keep standards high, questionnaires will be sent to headteachers about the quality of the food and service every term, and children and parents will be asked to offer their views.

Client catering manager Nick Postma said: "It is our aim to provide a tasty, healthy and varied diet, rich in goodness and in the right quantities to achieve the correct body weight."

He said there would be strenuous efforts to cut the amount of fat by oven baking, rather than frying, and by buying lean cuts of meat.

Less salt would be used by cutting out processed foods, using less in the cooking process and by not making it available on the dining table.

There would be an increase in dietary fibre by providing wholemeal flour and pasta, brown rice, jacket potatoes and fresh fruit.

County Caterers also offer vegetarian options and provide medical, religious and cultural diets.

Genetically modified ingredients and artificial colourings would not be used, he said.

Mr Postma said food safety was being enhanced through training and procedures, monitoring and inspections.

North Yorkshire executive member for Education, County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, said: "County Caterers are committed to providing our children with food that is nutritious and healthy.

"Encouraging children to eat the right food during their formative years puts in place simple rules that they will follow throughout their lives.

"School lunches also introduce children to food they might not otherwise encounter, making meal times part of the learning process.

"There are also social benefits to children sitting down together to have lunch and a well-fed happy child will be much more receptive to the afternoon's activities."