One in three children are leaving primary school overweight or obese, while tooth decay from diets high in sugar is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine – all while sugary foods and deep-fried food continue to feature on some school menus.
The move comes after parent polling revealed three quarters are concerned by the food their children are eating. The Government is tackling this head on – with proposals including limiting food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar as well as putting more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains on every child’s plate.
Brad Pearce, chair of The School Food People, said: “The School Food People welcome the Government’s review of the School Food Standards. Our members are focused on creating the healthiest generation ever, and this can only be achieved by having robust standards that are properly monitored and funded to support and protect sustainable services.”
The new standards have been developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts and will apply to all breakfasts and lunches served by schools.
Under the plans, schools will no longer be able to offer unhealthy ‘grab and go’ options like sausage rolls and pizza every day, while deep fried food will be banned completely. Fruit will also need to be served instead of sugar-laden treats for the majority of the school week.
Sample menus include a colourful range of tasty, health-packed meals - including spaghetti Bolognese, Mexican style burritos, cottage pie with root-veg mash, jerk chicken with rice and peas and roasted chickpea, vegetable and mozzarella wrap.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson commented: “We are launching the most ambitious overhaul of school food in a generation, and it is long overdue. Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive – meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that good standards on paper become good food on the plate.
“From our Free Breakfast Clubs to extending Free School Meals to over half a million more children, this means good-quality food from the moment children arrive at school to the end of the day.”
The Government has today launched a nine‑week consultation on the healthier options with parents and children, alongside a new national enforcement mechanism to monitor the new standards and ensure they are applied consistently.
These changes are supported by food campaigners, charities and nutritional experts including Bite Back, Tom Kerridge, Chefs in Schools, Emma Thompson and Henry Dimbleby.
Many schools are already leading the way with delicious, nutritious meals that children love - proof that higher standards are both achievable and popular. But while many are already serving healthy school dinners, these new standards level the playing field so that every child – no matter where they live – gets good-quality food at school.
Health Minister Sharon Hodgson added: “Children are consuming twice the recommended amount of free sugar and offering more nutritious meals at school is a great way of ensuring they eat healthier food. We’re determined to reduce the child obesity epidemic and the new School Food Standards represent another piece in a jigsaw of measures designed to help raise the healthiest generation of children ever.”