Editorial

Citation

(2007), "Editorial", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 37 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2007.01737faa.001

Editorial

There has been tremendous debate about what young people eat. Food eaten at school has attracted a special focus. The Government has introduced new food-based standards for school lunches from September 2006. These have been revised during the summer 2007.

The food-based standards now in place state that the following must be achieved:

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  Fruit and vegetables – at least two servings per lunch per child – at least one should be vegetables or salad and at least one fruit. This fruit can be fresh, fruit salad or fruit bags or fruit canned in juice. A fruit-based dessert must be available at least twice per week in primary schools. This dessert must contain at least half of the weight of the ingredients as fruit e.g. in an apple crumble the apples must account for half of the weight of the complete dish. This standard will no longer apply when the nutrient-based standards are introduced.

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  Red meat – which is regarded as beef, lamb and pork, as well as items like bacon and ham and also the offal like liver, must be provided twice per week in primary schools and three times per week in secondary schools.

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  Meat products – may be available occasionally provided that they meet the minimum meat content specified in the meat product regulations. These products include sausages, canned meat, sausage rolls, burgers and meat pies. These may be served no more than once every two weeks. Even if they are home-made such as meat pies then their use on a menu is limited.

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  Fish – must be on the menu once a week in primary schools and twice per week in secondary schools.

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  Oily fish – such as fresh or canned mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon or fresh tuna should be served at least once every three weeks

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  Starchy foods – like potatoes, pasta, rice, noodles, yam, millet, cornmeal or couscous must be available at every meal. Oil or fats should not be used to cook any starchy food on more than three days in any week. This includes potato chips, traditionally roasted potatoes, sauté potatoes, wedges and fried rice. When such foods are included an alternative not cooked in fat or oil should be offered.

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  Bread – should be available throughout lunch every day. This should be plain without any spread on it.

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  Deep fried items – no more than two deep fried items should be available in a single week. For example, if deep fried fish and chips are provided then additional deep fried items cannot be given in the same week.

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  No confectionery and savoury snacks should be available in schools – this includes all sweets and chocolate items. Chocolate as a powder-like cocoa used in making chocolate cakes and low calorie drinking chocolate are permitted. Chocolate should not be used for coating cakes and flapjacks or used as chocolate chips in desserts. The only savoury snacks are nuts and seeds with no added sugar or salt. Plain popcorn is permitted.

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  No salt or condiments should be available – any condiments such as tomato sauce and brown sauce should be served in sachets or provided by teaspoonfuls.

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  Milk and dairy foods – like yoghurt, cheese, Fromage frais and custards should be available. Only skimmed or semi-skimmed milk should be provided.

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  Drinks – the only drinks permitted are plain water (still or sparkling), skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, fruit and vegetable juices, plain (unflavoured and unsweetened) soya, rice or oat drinks with added calcium, plain (unflavoured and unsweetened) yoghurt drinks, smoothies made by pureeing half a mixture of vegetables or fruit with yoghurt, water or milk, tea, coffee, low calorie hot chocolate. Yoghurt and milk drinks may contain, stabilisers, artificial sweeteners or less than 5 per cent added sugar.

Water must be free and fresh and available throughout the school day so that pupils can help themselves.

Meat products are restricted and the standards on this group of foods have been revised. Meat products whether manufactured or home-made have been put into four groups. A product from each group must be provided no more then once per fortnight (the products must also meet the minimum meat content levels specified in the meat products (England) regulations 2003 – www.opsi.gov.uk/si/sl2003/20032075.htm):

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  Group 1 – burger, hamburger, chopped meat, corned meat.

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  Group 2 – sausage, sausage meat, link, chipolata, luncheon meat.

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  Group 3 – individual meat pie, meat pudding, Melton Mowbray pie, game pie, scotch pie, pastry, bridie, sausage rolls.

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  Group 4 – any other shaped or coated meat product.

This means in practice, for example, that beef burgers whether brought in or home-made can only be provided once every two weeks. Sausages also whether low fat, low salt or home-made can also be only served once every two weeks.

From September 2007, additional food-based standards for food other than at lunch are being introduced. Food services other than lunch must comply with the new standards which are listed briefly below:

More of these healthier items

More fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables must be provided in all school food outlets. These can include fresh, dried, frozen, canned and juiced varieties.

Drinking water

Free, fresh drinking water should be provided at all times.

Healthier drinks

The only drinks permitted during the school day are plain water (still or sparkling), skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, fruit juice, vegetable juice, plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium, plain yoghurts drinks, or combinations of the above. Tea coffee and low calorie hot chocolate are also permitted.

Restricted or no longer allowed

No confectionery

Confectionery such as chocolate bars, chocolate coated or flavoured biscuits, sweets and cereal bars must not be provided.

Salt and condiment – restricted

Salt must not be provided at tables or service counters, Condiments, such as ketchup and mayonnaise, must only be available in sachets or individual portions of not more than 10g or 1 teaspoonful.

Snacks – restricted

Snacks such as crisps must not be provided. Nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with no added salt, sugar or fat are allowed.

No cakes and biscuits

Cakes and biscuits must not be provided (except at lunchtime)

Deep fried food – restricted

Two deep fried foods per week are allowed across lunch and all other food services.

Starchy food – restricted

Starchy food cooked in fat or oil must not be used in the cooking process more than three times a week across lunch and all other food service.

Meat products – restricted

A meat product (manufactured or home-made) from each of the four groups may be provided no more then once per fortnight, providing the meat product also meets the standards for minimum meat content and does not contain any prohibited offal: Group 1 – burger, hamburger, chopped meat, corned meat; Group 2 – sausage, sausage meat, link, chipolata, luncheon meat; Group 3 – individual meat pie, meat pudding, Melton Mowbray pie, game pie, scotch pie, pastry, bridie, sausage roll; Group 4 – any other shaped or coated meat product.

From September 2008, nutrient-based standards are to be introduced into primary schools and from September 2009 nutrient-based standards are to be introduced into secondary schools. Schools are getting ready to start making calculations of the nutrient content of their menus in advance of the introduction of the standards.

Unfortunately not everyone is happy with the changes in school food and as described at the Local Authority Caterers Association Conference held in Birmingham in July 2007 the number of young people taking school lunches has fallen up to 17 per cent in secondary schools. These reductions in school meal uptake were widely repeated in the national press. With the introduction of the food-based standards for food in schools other than lunches which bans items such as cakes, flapjacks and biscuits some are predicting a further reduction in school food uptake.

This reduction in uptake in not experienced in every school and there are excellent examples of improved services. The whole area is a complex one but it is worrying if a greater desire for healthier food at lunches is drawing children to have less healthy food from packed lunches, corner shops and takeaways.

More information can be obtained from www.schoolfoodtrust.or.uk