THE catering team at Dollar Academy's Dining Hall has scooped a prestigious award for the eighth year in a row.

Catering manager Paul O'Donnell and his team received the Healthyliving Award Plus certificate for providing pupils, staff and visitors with wholesome meals and snacks.

Paul said: “The catering department at Dollar Academy recognise an organisational wide commitment to provide and support healthier eating.

“The Dollar Academy catering staff have been very proactive in working towards providing a healthy menu for pupils, staff and visitors since the introduction of the Healthyliving Award in August 2006.”

The plus award is the next step up with Paul adding: “The criteria for the Healthyliving Plus Award is even more challenging.

“The enhanced award requires that 70 per cent of the food on sale meets the standards.

“Broad changes have been made in the way that food and drink is prepared, presented and sold, but by doing so we have made it easier for our customers to make a healthier choice when eating in our dining room.”

The national awards are delivered by experts with experience in the food and catering industry with full support from NHS Health Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Organisations and businesses can apply for the enhanced scheme after holding the basic certificate for at least a year.

In order to ensure compliance to the criteria is upheld, awardees must reapply every other year and inspectors can drop in at any time to take a look around.