For partners 
The Bite Back charity, founded by chef Jamie Oliver, analyzed the menus of 391 English schools (state) — and the findings were discouraging: nearly ¾ of schools need to revise their school meal provision and are not adequately complying with government-set standards.
What food problems exist in English state schools
Schools offer students insufficiently healthy food: it contains excess fat, sugar, or salt, which is contributing to the widespread prevalence of childhood obesity. Let us go through the specific findings of the research:
- 53% of schools offered products that should not be sold as snacks at all: crisps, Oreos, Mini Cheddars, chocolate bars, baked goods. By law, schools are only permitted to sell nuts, seeds, fresh vegetables, and fruit.
- 57% of schools offered meat products more than twice a week, exceeding the approved standard (burgers, nuggets, sausages, meat stew).
- 37% of schools overused fried potato products, such as hash browns,
- 31% allowed chocolate to appear in their desserts and baked goods as a coating or crumble (which is prohibited by the rules),
- 2% sold confectionery (KitKats, Haribo, Maltesers),
- 1% of schools sold sugary drinks (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite).
According to experts, children are already constantly tempted by unhealthy food, so school should above all be a safe place for proper, balanced diets.
Currently, schools in the United Kingdom may combine food offerings: providing hot, cooked meals (sausages — vegetarian and meat, braised vegetables (broccoli, carrots, beans), mashed potatoes, pasta, meatballs, chicken) and at the same time — grab&go-style snacks (fast food, food on the go): sausage rolls, pizza, panini, rolls, cheeseburgers, hash browns. The only question is the proportionality of the offering, as children predictably prefer food from the second category.
What changes are planned for school meals
The issue is being tackled on a broad scale — a comprehensive reform is planned. Making dishes more balanced, increasing the presence of vegetables and fruit on the menu, reducing the amount of ultra-processed products — all of these items are on the agenda. The following measures are also being proposed to combat childhood obesity:
- Reduce the grab&go format: it should not be available to children every day,
- Ban deep-frying,
- Reduce the number of high-sugar desserts (puddings, cakes),
- Increase the amount of fruit on offer,
- Restrict the sale of crisps, fizzy drinks, and chocolate bars.
In addition, the free school meals program will be expanded — the benefit will extend to a greater number of families.
Every school will be required to officially publish its food policy and menu online; this must be fully transparent information.
Children are predictably upset
Schoolchildren themselves, as expected, do not support the reform and consider the ideas utopian. Giving up familiar dishes is a very radical measure that will affect not just lifestyle, but psychological wellbeing and sense of comfort. Many children say that a sweet treat — even just one, once a day — helps them "get through" to the end of the school day, guaranteeing a boost of energy and a lift in mood.
"Sweets make lunch more enjoyable, especially for younger children — the key is to maintain balance."
Also significant is the fact that healthy eating is not a cheap principle, and completely eliminating "unhealthy" food will seriously undermine the economic viability of the canteen in any given school. Very few schools can currently afford to cook in their own kitchens; the majority rely on catering agencies and school meal providers, and for them, business viability is a matter of survival.
