Shropshire schools to serve local free range eggs

All eggs used to prepare meals in Shropshire’s schools will be both free range and locally-sourced from later this month.

Following requests from parents, Shropshire County Council’s schools meals service has agreed that only free range eggs from Shropshire farms will be supplied to the county’s schools from Monday 14 April.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Following recent media coverage about the welfare of battery hens, we received a number of requests from concerned parents asking if the eggs served in our schools came from free range or caged hens.

“In response to these concerns, I’m pleased to say that from mid-April only free range eggs will be served up by our schools, or used in the preparation of meals, and I’m delighted that these eggs will also be sourced from within Shropshire.”

Shropshire County Council has also agreed that only free range, locally-sourced eggs will be supplied to its care homes, and to the Column Restaurant and QC Coffee Shop at Shirehall in Shrewsbury.

1 April 2008