North Ayrshire Council has retained the 'Gold Food for Life Served Here' award for the eighth year running.

Awarded by Soil Association Scotland, the prestigious Gold accreditation recognises the council’s continued commitment to making good food the easy choice, championing environmentally sustainable, ethical food options, sourced by local suppliers.

The prestigious accolade has been awarded to all 50 North Ayrshire Primary Schools including Largs, Skelmorlie, Cumbrae, Fairlie and West Kilbride.

And the latest figures show that the majority of ingredients for North Ayrshire school meals are from Scotland.

Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Green New Deal and Sustainability, said North Ayrshire Council is a front-runner when it comes to serving up delicious, healthy meals to our school children.

He added“We are proud of our continued record in using local produce and supporting businesses in Ayrshire and across Scotland.

“Our pupils are able to enjoy some of the finest school menus anywhere in the country and the quality of the food is second to none.

“Retaining this gold mark gives our pupils and parents confidence in the quality of the ingredients used in our recipes.

The Food for Life Scotland programme, funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Soil Association Scotland, supports councils to get more local food on the table. Caterers are recognised for serving fresh food, sourcing environmentally sustainable and ethical food, making healthy eating easy and championing local food producers.