England Bans Deep-Fried Food in School Lunches
England Bans Deep-Fried Food in School Lunches
The News
England's Department for Education is banning deep-fried food from school meals and capping desserts and processed meats, in what ministers call the first major overhaul of school food standards in more than a decade.
Under the rules, every school meal must be served with vegetables or salad.
The changes take effect in September 2027, with secondary schools given until 2028 to meet some of the requirements.
What the Rules Do
Sweet desserts are limited to twice a week in secondary schools and once a week in primary schools. Processed meats such as sausages and chicken nuggets are restricted to once a week.
Breakfast clubs, which were previously unregulated, must now drop pastries, fried eggs and high-sugar cereals.
Every school must designate a "food governor" to oversee compliance.
Timeline
The Department for Education sets out the new school food standards for England, describing them as "once-in-a-generation changes."
The rules take effect: no deep-fried food, vegetables or salad with every meal, and limits on desserts and processed meats.
Deadline for secondary schools to comply with some of the changes.
Reactions
Education minister Lucy Powell called the package "once-in-a-generation changes," according to The Independent.
School leaders pushed back on cost, arguing that existing free school meal funding is already insufficient and that the new requirements will push meal costs higher.
The government frames the rules as a response to childhood obesity and dental disease: about one in three children leave primary school overweight or obese, and tooth decay is the leading reason children aged 5 to 9 are admitted to hospital.
What's Next
The Department for Education and the Food Standards Agency are expected to set out a monitoring plan in the coming months, including how compliance will be checked and what happens to schools that fall short.
The standards land alongside an expansion of free school meal eligibility for families receiving Universal Credit — which is exactly where the funding fight is headed.
More
The standards apply to schools in England. Coverage of the announcement came from the BBC, The Independent and the Daily Mail, which reported that from next September schools will no longer be allowed to serve deep-fried foods and that every meal must come with vegetables or salad.
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