Introduction
AtUWCSEAwerecognisethatgoodnutritionisavitalpartofourchildren’swell-beingandworkhardtomakethefood servedonourcampusesashealthyaspossible.Eveninourlargeanddiversecommunity–whereweserveover7,000 mealsonanaverageschoolday–wedoourbesttotakeaccountofindividualneeds(ie,cultural,ethical,medical),andto matchthenutritionandhealthyeatingmessagesintheschoolcurriculum.
Inthisbooklet,weoutlineourapproachtothefoodofferedandgivedetailsontheservicesavailable Weworkcloselywith ourfoodserviceprovider,Sodexo(wwwsodexocom) Thefoodservicesoncampusoperateasanon-profit-makingpartof schoolservicestoensurethatourfocusremainsonwhatisbestforthecommunity.
Weprovidemanyopportunitiesforparentswhoareinterestedtounderstandmoreandparticipateinshapingourfood services;pleasecontactusifyouwouldliketolearnmoreorgetinvolved.Parentsarealwayswelcometousethecanteen facilitiesandenjoylunchorstopoffatthecoffeeshopwhilstatschool
Wewelcomeanycommentsandsuggestionsthatyoumayhavetoimproveourfoodservices
teckhenguwc@uwcseaedusg
andyuwc@uwcseaedusg
Wehaveseveralcateringoutletsineachcampus,suchas:Asian,Western,VegetarianandIndiancuisines;made-to-order sandwiches,saladbar,juicebar,pastastation,pizzastation,andcafe.
Foodofferedinourschoolisdesignedtomakeeatinginschoolappealingforchildrenbyappealingtotheirfivesenses–sight,smell,touch,soundandtaste.
BasedonthevaluesoftheDiningexperience,CommunityengagementandEducation,andPeaceofmind,theCollege focusesonbalancednutrition,discoveryandinteractioninthecafeteria,whileensuringthesafetyandwell-beingofthe students.
DiningExperience
Funeatingexperiencethroughinnovation,discoveryandfusionofvariouscuisines.
CommunityEngagementandEducation
Immersivefoodserviceexperiencethroughinteractionswithvariousmembersofthecommunity.
PeaceofMind
Widevarietyofnutritiousmealsinasafeenvironment
OuroverallfoodofferingisdesignedconsideringtheUKguidelinesonHealthyEatingPatternsofSchools Referenceshave beentakenfromAustraliaandotherpartsofEuropetomanageallergenseffectively.
FoodProgrammeinSchool
Sodexoprovidesawidevarietyofmealsthatarepreparedfreshdailyandarevalidatedbyqualifiednutritionists The mealsprovidestudentswiththenutritionalrequirementsneededforgrowthanddevelopmentwhileappealingtodifferent palates
BothAsianandWesterndishesareservedonadailybasisandwillnotfavouranyparticularnationality’seatinghabits Mostdishesarepreparedaccordingtoauthenticrecipes,butsomedishesarealteredtosuitthegeneralstudent population’stastepreference
Therearetwocategoriesofmealarrangements–pre-ordermealsandbuyingfromthecounter.Thechild’sgrade determineswhicharrangementapplies
Campus
Dover
East
K1–G4students
K1–G4students
Grade5–12students
Grade5–12students
FocusonNutrition
Tosupportthenutritionalneedsofgrowingchildren,ourmealsarehealthyandnutritionally-balanced,madeupofthe rightportionsoffoodfromthedifferentfoodgroups
Schoolmealsarepreparedfollowingtwounderlyingguidelines:
1 Toincreaseessentialnutrients,vitaminsandminerals
2. Tominimisesaturatedandtransfats,addedsugarandsalt.
Followingarefewofthekeyprincipleswefollow:
1 WeADOPThealthiercookingmethods
2. WeREPLACEstockcubeswithnaturalflavourings.
3 WeDONOTuseanymonosodiumglutamate(MSG)infoodpreparation
4. WeCONTROLtheuseofingredientsorsaucesthatarehighinsaturatedandtransfats.
Weencouragestudentstomakehealthierchoiceswhenorderingmeals.ThisisdoneusingtheFoodTrafficLights framework–afunandeasy-to-understandreferencethatcolour-codesfooditemsbasedontheirrecommended frequencyforconsumption.
● Healthiestfoodoptionthatcan beeateno en
● Goodsourceofnutrients
● Highinfibre,vitaminsand minerals
● Lowincaloriesfromaddedfats
● Lowinsugarandsalt
● Foodtoeatinmoderation,based onarecommendedservingsize
● Containhighnutritionalvalue
● Goodsourceofenergy
● Excessiveintakewillcontribute toextracaloriesandweightgain
● Fooditemstobeconsumed sparingly
● High,fat,sugarorsaltcontent
● Lowernutritionalvalue
FoodServiceatUWCSEA
Wehaveacontinuousfocusonhealthyeating Theschool’sfoodpolicyhasclearlydefinedtheexpectationsandprocesses inplacetomakesurethattheentirefoodofferingencourageshealthyeatingopportunities TheUWCSEACollegeFood Policygivesmoreinformation.
Wefeelthatwehavearesponsibilitytoensurethatwhereverpossibleweprovidehealthyeatingchoicesforallstudents In practice,thismeansthatwehavetakenanumberofstepstoensurethatweservetheminimumamountof‘junkfood.’
Foodssuchaschips(Frenchfries),burgers,pizzaandotherjunkfoodwillonlybeservedonceaweek,mosto enona Friday WedonotsellcanneddrinkssuchasCokeorfoodssuchasicecream WealsorestrictcertainproductsfromJunior andMiddleSchoolstudentsunlesstheyareaccompaniedbyanadultwhomakestherequest.
Weregularlyworkwiththecurriculumteamtoensurethathealthyeatingisalsopromotedwithintheclassroomand childrenunderstandthefoodchoicesofferedatschool.
Vegetarian,HalalandOtherMealOptions
Tocatertovegetarians,weensurethatthereisalwaysagoodvarietyofvegetarianfoodavailable,whetherintheformof snacksorasmains
OurkitchenatEastCampusisaHalal-certifiedfacility,howevertheoneatDoverCampusisnot Despitethis,Sodexohasa provisionforanopork,nolardfoodofferingwhichiscookedinaseparatekitchenandservedonaparticularcounter.
AllergiesandDietaryRestrictions
Itisextremelyimportantthatyouinformtheschoolofanyallergiesorspecialdietaryrestrictionsthatyourchild(ren) mighthaveviatheonlinemedicalrecordform Theschoolnursemustbeinformedofsevereallergiesthatmayrequire emergencytreatment,e.g.,Epipen.
Schoolcaterersaremadeawareofanyfoodallergies/foodintoleranceandrequestsforspecialdietsaresubmitted accordingtoanagreedprocess.Theallergenmanagementprocessofourserviceprovidercanbefoundontheportal.
Specialprovisionhasbeenmadeforanallergen-freesetmeal(gluten,dairyandeggfree)tocaterforthespecificneedsof thecommunity
Thoughallthemealsarepreparedbytrainedstaffwhoknowthekeyelementsofallergenmanagement,wearenotan allergen-freeenvironmentandthereisapossibilityoftraces
Note:Incaseofsevereallergies,parentsandstudentsmustmeetwiththeCollegeHeadNurseandfoodservicemanager. Thisisanopportunitytounderstandtheoverallflowoffoodinthekitchenandadecisioncanthenbemadeonwhether theagreedkitchenprocesswillsuittheindividualrequirementsofthefamilyornot
Majormealstimingsandprovision
Classroomlessonsbeginat8am Childrenshouldeatbreakfastbeforearrivingatschoolsothattheyarriveatschoolready tolearnandparticipatefullyintheclassroom.Themealbreakscheduleduringtheschooldayisasfollows:
DOVER
K1-Grade1:10.15–10.55am
Grade2–5:950–1015am
Grade6–12:9.25–9.50am
EAST
Grade2–5:9.50–10.10am
Grade6–12(Mon,WedandFri):9.40–10am
Grade6–12(Tues,Thurs):9.55–10.15am
Purchasingmeals
K1-Grade1:12.15–12.55pm
Grade2–5:1130am–1230pm
Grade6-8: MorningBreak:9.25am-9.50am Lunchbreak:11.30am-12.20pm
Grade6–12:1245–145pm
Grade2–5:11.30am–12.25pm
Grade6–8(Mon,Wed,Fri):11.20am–12.15pm
Grade6–8(Tues,Thurs):11.30am–12.25pm
Grade9–12(Mon,Wed,Fri):12.45–1.40pm
Grade9–12(Tues,Thurs):12.50–1.45pm
UWCSEAhasaCollegeCardSysteminplacewhichallowsparentstoordermealsonlineforJuniorSchoolstudentsandalso allowstherestofthecommunitytouseaCollegeCardforcashlesstransactionsoverthecounters.Thereisalsoaprovision forcashpaymentsforthefoodpurchasedfromthecountersbutweencourageyoutousethecashlessmethodasinthat wouldmeannohandlingofcashbystudents.Variousotherfeaturesofthesystemlikesettingdailyspendlimit,getting reportsondailytransactions,paymentprocessbecomingfastermakesoverallfoodjourneymoreorganisedandefficient
Toaccesstheonlinesystemtoplacelunchorders,pleaselogintotheparentportal.Ifyouneedanyassistancewithyour logindetails,contactitsupport@uwcseaedusg Onceloggedintotheportal,goto‘MyBookmarks’andselect‘TopUp CollegeCard.’YouwillthenbedirectedtotheCollegeCardSystemsitewhereyoucanplacelunchordersforyourchild(ren) inGrade2–4(DoverCampus)andGrade2–4(EastCampus).
StudentsinGrade5-12DoverCampus)and5-12(EastCampusselecttheirmealsfromthechoicesavailableonthedifferent counters.Astheschoolusesacashlesspaymentsystem,studentswillhavetousetheirCollegecardtomakefood purchases StartingfromFriday,18October,studentswillbeabletousePayNowtotopuptheirstudentcardsatallkiosks inthecanteen.ToaddvaluetotheirCollegecard,pleaselogintotheCommunityPortal(loginrequired)andclickonthe FoodServicesbutton
Astep-by-stepuserguidefortheCollegeCardSystemandvariousotheractivitieswhichcanbeperformedcanbefoundin theUWCSEACollegeCardSystem–UserGuide.
Safetyandwell-being
Safetyisakeyfocus Toensurechildren’ssafetyandwell-beingatthecanteenanddeliverapeaceofmindtoparents,four aspectsofsafetyareobserved:
ChildSafety
Measurestoensurethesafetyandwell-beingofyourchild, inaccordancewithUWCSEA’sChildProtectionPolicy.
AllergensSafety
Measurestoidentifyandminimisetheoccurrenceofmajor allergensinfood,inaccordancewithUWCSEA’sAllergens ManagementPolicy.
FoodSafety
Measurestopreventfoodcontamination,inaccordance withHACCPguidelinesand ISOstandardsforfoodsafety.
WorkplaceSafety
Measurestoensurethatallstaffoperatesafelyinthe workplace,inaccordancewithOHSASguidelinesandISO standardsforworkplacesafetyandhealth(WSH).
CHILD PROTECTION
AspartoftheCollege’sChildProtection Policy,allstaffarerequiredtoabidebyaCodeofConductandrelatedprocessesthatincludes:
● Behavingprofessionallyandrespectfully
● Workingandcommunicatingopenly
● Actingasgoodrolemodelforchildren
● Whattolookfor
● Howtoreport
Note:ChildprotectionisatoppriorityattheCollege;ifparentsnoticesymptomsofanyformof childabuse,theyarerequestedtoreportittotherespectiveprincipalandheadofcampusat theearliest
FOODSAFETY
ALLERGENS SAFETY
WORKPLACE SAFETY
THENEXTNORMAL
Allsuppliersshouldstrictlyabidebyinternationalandnationalfoodhygienestandardsacross theoperationsthatrequires:
● Trainingallstaffinhygienicfoodhandling
● Thoroughinspectionofgoods
● Minimisationofcross-contamination,includingtemperaturecontrols
● Propersanitizationofthefoodserviceenvironment
Thefoodoperatormustoperatewithan“A”gradelicencefromNEAandmustcarryoutfood safetyaudits,includingfoodsamples,onaregularbasis.
AsperUWCSEAguidelines,thecanteenteammanagesallergensinschoolwhichincludes:
● Trainingallstaffinhandlingspecialdietsandmanagingallergens
● Labellingpresenceofmajorallergens(eggs,dairy,soya,wheatgluten)inmenucycles
Note:Beadvisedthatweareanallergyawareschoolbuttracesofallergensmaystillbefound inthefoodprepared,duetotheopenkitchenenvironment.
Allcanteenstaffaretrainedtosafelyoperateattheworkplaceandarerequiredto:
● Gear-uptoproperprotectiveequipment,whereapplicable
● Usesafetechniqueswhenworking
● Maintaingoodhousekeepingtominimiseaccidentstoselfandothers.
ToaddressthenewrequirementsbroughtonbytheCOVID-19pandemic,“RisewithSodexo” wasconceivedasaholisticapproachtowellbeingreadinessinthenextnormal Itincludes:
● Thoroughpreventivedisinfectionandcleaninga ereachmealservice
● Wearingofmasksbyallthecanteenstaffatalltimes
● Mandatoryhandwashingandsanitation
● Safedistancingateatingplaces
● Queuemanagementandonlineordering
● Promotingcashlesspaymentmodes
● Convenienceandpre-packagedmeals
● Regularhealthcommunication
Sustainability
InlinewiththeCollege’sgoalofshapingasustainablefuture,wefollowseveralguidelinesintheprovisionofthefood services.
Choosingreusableproducts
Toreduceplasticwastage,studentsareencouragedtousereusableutensilswhendining
Wedonotsellbottledwateroncampustoreducewaste Allstudentsareallowedtobringaclearlylabelledwaterbottleto schooltokeepintheirclassroomsanddrinkfromduringlessons.Waterfountainsareconvenientlylocatedthroughoutthe schoolifstudentsneedarefill
Minimisingwaste
Wasteissegregatedoncampus.AtbothUWCcampuses,intelligentwaste-measurementtechnologyisusedtocollectdata onfoodwasteinourfoodserviceoperations Dataisthenanalysedandsharedwithfoodteammemberstoimplementthe operationalandbehaviouralchangestoeliminateexcessfoodwaste.
Cardboards,tinsandotherrecyclablematerialswillberecycled,whilerawfruitandvegetablewasteandcoffeegrounds areturnedintocompostforourschoolgardens InanewpilotprojectwithSingapore’sNationalEnvironmentAgency(NEA) ourpost-consumerfoodwastewillalsobeconvertedintobiogasattheirsiteinTuas.Wastecookingoilsarealsorecycled andconvertedintobiofuelsbyourpartnersAlphaBiofuels
Efficientusageofwaterandelectricity
Weencouragetheefficientusageofwaterandelectricitythroughoutthecampus.Workingcloselywiththefoodservices team,weconstantlydevelopnewmeanstooptimisewaterandelectricityuseinthecanteensandkitchens Weorganise periodicauditsbyprofessionalswhocome,assessandadvisehowwecancontinuetoimprovewiththehelpofadvanced technology
Fairtrade
InlinewithUWCSEA’svalues,weofferfairtradecoffeeinourschoolcafé
Useofenvironmentally-friendlycleaningproducts
Inthekitchenandcanteen,weuseEcoLabenvironmentally-friendlycleaningproductstominimiseharmtothe environment
Reputablefoodsuppliers
Ingredientsareoneofthemostimportantpartsofcateringandsomeoftheeasiestareasforsupplierstocutcornerson Wemonitoroursuppliersandwillonlysourceproductsfromreputablecompanies Whereverpossible,inthecontextof Singapore,wetrytoensureouringredientsarepesticideandadditivefreeandweareconstantlyreviewingthe sustainabilityandethicalproductionofoursupplies
Workingcloselywithstudentcouncilsandenvironmentalgroups
Ourcanteenteamalsoworkcloselywiththestudentcouncilsandenvironmentalconcerngroupsoncampustodevelop sustainabilityinitiativessuchas:
1. VegetarianWednesdays:Since2013,thefoodserviceshasimplementedapolicyofservingonlyvegetarian dishesoneveryWednesday Wearealsoworkingtoincreaseplant-basedofferingsinourdailymenus
2. StudentCompostingInitiative:Thefoodteamsourcesseafoodonlyfromresponsiblymanagedfisheriesand seafoodfarms,foruseinourdishesandmenus,andthenwesupplystudentswithdailycateringby-productsfor theircompostingprojects.
3. Garden-to-tablepartnership:Weworkwithgardeninggroupstousefreshly-harvestedcampus-grownherbsand vegetablesinourrecipeswheneverwecan.
4. Reducingtheuseofplasticinthecanteen:Oneofthebiggestinitiativesinrecentyearshasbeenaneffortto reducetheuseofdisposableplasticsinourpackagingandwhatweofferinthecanteen.Weareconstantlylooking intoeffectiveandinnovativewaystoreducetheusageofplasticinthecanteen Moreandmorepermanentwareis addedtovariousofferingsoffoodandrelateditems ThisandmoreinitiativesareregularlyfeaturedineBriefand thecampusenvironmentalstewardshipblog
GetinvolvedorsayHello
Weliaiseonaregularbasis(whenschoolisinsession)withparentswhoserveontheParents’Association(PA)andstudent councilsthroughvariousmeetingsandstructuredtours.Ifyoushareaninterestinfoodandwouldliketolearnmoreabout cateringoperationsandinfluencewhatweprovide,wewelcomeyourparticipation Justgetintouchwithus
CholanMariappan
DoverUnitManager(Sodexo)
sodexodover@uwcsea.edu.sg
ArunKumarMurugan
EastUnitManager(Sodexo)
sodexoeast@uwcsea.edu.sg