Education caterer, Taylor Shaw has secured a further three-year contract to provide catering services to primary schools in the North East.
The Warrington-based business has been responsible for providing school meals across County Durham since 2008 and the new deal extends this for a further three years. There is also an option to extend the contract to 2022.
Taylor Shaw has worked in partnership with Durham County Council to run a government-backed pilot scheme to provide all primary school pupils with free lunches.
Managing director, Jim Lovett, said, 'The quality of our food and the strong client relationships we have built up by having our area managers working daily within schools across Durham has helped us increase uptake year on year
'Even after the free meals pilot, we have continued to increase uptake year on year, reaching a peak last year of 63 per cent, which is significantly higher than the national average of 43 per cent.'