Official opening of Central Production Unit Rowallan
Councillor Clare Maitland performed the official opening of the Central Production Unit at Rowallan recently with Mirren and Kyle from Onthank Early Childhood Centre.
The new facility, which was designed to the specifications of the Council’s award-winning Catering Services team, ensures that over 1000 healthy, nutritious, local sourced meals are provided every day to children in early learning and childcare settings.
Councillor Clare Maitland, Spokesperson for Planning, Human Resources and Property was joined at the official opening by Provost Jim Todd, Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of the Council and Councillors Elaine Cowan, Maureen McKay, John McFadzean and David Richardson. They took a tour of the innovative facility, meeting the team and sampling some of the delicious food that is prepared daily.
Councillor Maitland said: “It was a real honour to be asked to perform the official opening of the Central Production Unit. They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home, well the Central Production Unit is the heart of Catering Services. The connection between food and learning is well established and by investing in the Central Production Unit, the Council has invested in the future of our children and young people.
“This fantastic new facility has helped to reduce costs for the Council and provided new job opportunities through the early years expansion programme.
“East Ayrshire Council is the longest-standing Food for Life Served Here Gold award holder in the UK, serving thousands of Food for Life accredited meals a day. Our approach to both the provision of organic food and Community Wealth Building means that we are committed to continuing to work with local businesses to support the local economy and to reduce our carbon footprint by continuing to source fresh local produce. The unit has also achieved zero food waste, only preparation food waste is left at the end of the day and that waste is recycled, which is really quite an achievement.
“As a Council, we are very proud of the Catering Services team. They are rightly recognised as sector leaders and we are delighted to celebrate achievements, like the Central Production Unit.”