DINNER ladies say they are worried about their jobs because of a review into the way meals at city schools are prepared.

Six hundred kitchen staff are employed to serve up lunches for Derby youngsters but the service is facing a big funding gap.

Now the city council is looking at possible changes to the set-up, which could include creating a central kitchen to produce all school meals or even paying another local authority to produce food.

One cook, who did not wish to be named, said: "We have heard about the review but I don't think many people working in kitchens across the city are aware of the implications.

"I cannot see how as many staff would be required whichever option was chosen or that people's job descriptions wouldn't change."

Most catering staff are members of Unison and a union spokesman said that meetings are being held with the city council in the next few weeks.

He said: "We don't know what the implications of this are but any change is bound to have consequences for jobs or job descriptions."

Heads are concerned that the quality of school meals may suffer if they are contracted out.

Kathy Mayer, head teacher at Cherry Tree Hill Infant School, Chaddesden, said: "I am worried that food transported in over any distance could suffer in quality and could endanger our efforts to encourage children to eat healthily.

"I know our kitchen staff have concerns because they don't know what is happening either."

Simon Emsley, head of Lakeside Community Primary in Alvaston, said his school has been looking at providing its own catering and opting out of the city meals system.

He said: "My experience of transported food is not great and I have concerns about a system like this.

"We are looking to see if we can cater for ourselves. Our kitchen staff are very worried by all of this."

But although the options have been sent as a report for consideration by school heads via the weekly schools' newsletter, the city council is unwilling to make a comment or discuss the issue.

Instead a council spokesman said: "We think it is too early to discuss this and we need to inform more people about it first."

An initial review was carried out after a deficit in the city's school meals budget rose to £400,000 in 2008.

The deficit happened following increased costs for producing healthy food in the wake of television chef Jamie Oliver's campaign and an increase in the price of food, together with a fall in the number of children taking meals, which meant income from meals was not covering costs.

Last year, three prices rises totalling 45p were imposed, in a bid to start closing the funding gap but every time there is a price increase, fewer pupils take meals. Even more stopped because of the recession. The price per primary meal is now £2.

In a bid to cut costs in the long-term, the review has suggested two options. One is to spend £1.5m to create a centralised kitchen, with some cooking or heating in local schools. It would be funded using a 50% grant from Government and the other half from the city's catering service.

The other would be to see if other providers are interested in catering for the city, such as private sector catering firms, or other local authorities.

Before Derby became a unitary authority in 1997, schools meals were provided through the Derbyshire County Council school meals service.

A county council spokeswoman said: "We have not yet been approached by Derby City Council to bid for the contract or to talk about the situation but we are ready to do so if it approaches us."

A final decision on Derby's situation is expected to be made by the city council cabinet when it meets in May.