Lamb is now a permanent fixture in schools across Scotland following a successful pilot spearheaded by farmers and the wider industry.
Scotch Lamb PGI will now appear on school menus in Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross following a pilot last year.
The pilot demonstrated that the vast majority of primary and secondary school children enjoyed a variety of lamb dishes, including a lamb biryani, lasagne and kebab.
The pilot was instigated by NFU Scotland Vice President Martin Kennedy and local Councillor Mike Williamson.
There will now be a roll out of lamb on school menus across all primary schools and secondary schools in Tayside.
NFU Scotland Vice President, Martin Kennedy admitted there were concerns around introducing lamb in school meals considering the meat's declining consumption.
“When we started this pilot last year, we weren’t sure how successful lamb would be in school meals, considering the declining consumption in recent years,” he said.
“It was terrific to see the results clearly demonstrate that primary and secondary children were enjoying the healthy, tasty lamb dishes.
“In Highland Perthshire, we produce top quality Scotch Lamb, utilising natural grass growth to produce nutritious food and the same is true across the country. It’s great to see an increase of Scotch Lamb sourcing by the public sector in Tayside,” Mr Kennedy said.
The farming union has said that there are opportunities for the public sector to source a wide range of healthy food from Scotland, which benefits children and the local community.
NFU Scotland has contacted the Scottish government to make them aware of the success of the pilot and the news that lamb is now firmly on the menus in Tayside for the forthcoming year.
It follows news of National Sheep Association further promoting the concept of eating lamb at least once a week amid a decline in lamb consumption, particularly in younger age groups.
