Dylan the dragon digs school shake up

Model Primary School pupils have been licking their lips to the delights of a new milk shake product they have helped to put to the test.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s healthy eating mascot Dylan the Dragon was there to give a helping hand – and the milk shakes were given a definite thumbs up.

Carmarthenshire’s catering service is planning additional trials with the product, and if it is well received it may become part of the primary schools’ three week rolling menu.

Milk Break is fully compliant with the Welsh Assembly’s Appetite for Life recommendations, which seeks to improve pupils’ diets by increasing their consumption of fruit, vegetables and other foods containing essential nutrients and reduce their consumption of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.

A 100ml beaker of the milk shake provides 62 per cent of the calcium requirements of an average school lunch; 48 per cent of the protein requirements; 16 per cent of the carbohydrate requirements and 10 per cent of the folate requirements.

It includes less than five per cent of added sugar and contains 1.5g less of fat per 100ml than semi skimmed milk. It has been produced by Aimia Foods and comes in a range of flavours including strawberry and chocolate.

Catering Services Manager Sandra Weigel said: "We are always looking at ways of making healthy schools meals more tasty and appetising, and we know that milk shakes are always a big hit with children.

"We’ve been very encouraged by the children’s response, and will look at how we can incorporate it in our school menus."

Executive board member for education, Councillorr Gwynne Wooldridge, said: "Carmarthenshire County Council provides the best standard of school catering possible throughout the county. Catering staff work tirelessly to ensure the quality and nutritional value of our school meals and are always looking at new ways of introducing healthy, nutritious meals to the dinner table."