Pupils in Cambridgeshire schools are embracing the healthy lifestyle as take up of school meals in the county rises for the third year running.

School meals in Cambridgeshire are provided by Cambridgeshire Catering Services (CCS) which is part of Cambridgeshire County Council.

In the current year, 38.7% of primary school children have a lunchtime meal provided by CCS - a marked increase compared with 35.2% last year and 31.3% in 2007-08.

This means that over the last two years an additional 500,000 meals have been prepared and served, all meeting the Government's Food Based and Nutrient Standards.

The uptake of school meals is also now a national indicator and local authorities are required to report the results of the take-up from all schools in their area.

Richard Ware, Head of CCS said, "These results show the commitment of all CCS staff in not only meeting the statutory requirements in providing school meals, but also meeting the expectations of both pupils and parents. These results also rely on the support of headteachers and school secretaries in supporting the service."

In an effort to create a better awareness of the importance of eating the right foods, CCS has developed a range of workshops for pupils, which include Fresh Fruit, Fresh Vegetables and Bread Baking. These types of partnerships with schools have also had a positive effect on meal numbers.

CCS provides school meals to the majority of Cambridgeshire's primary schools, as well as schools in Rutland, Peterborough and Essex. It supports the Change 4 Life campaign, whose objectives include developing healthier eating habits.