Pilot sees 15 per cent drop in uptake, and costs rise
There are concerns that the government’s new school food standards, designed to promote healthier eating, may prove counterproductive after a pilot saw uptake of school meals decline.
Earlier this week the DfE launched a consultation on new school food standards. Developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts, the new standards would 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. The proposed new standards were welcomed by a range of figures including chefs Jamie Oliver and Thomasina Myers, and former government food tsar Henry Dimbleby.
However, results from one the pilots of the new standards suggest that uptake of school meals may decline as a result of the new healthy options. One the places that the new standards were piloted was at Glebe Primary School in Brighton. That pilot was led, on behalf of the DfE, by Luke Consiglio, chief executive of education catering company The Pantry. Mr Consiglio noted that by the end of the pilot with new menus, uptake of school meals had declined by 15 per cent. Feedback from parents confirmed that the decline had been driven by changes to the menu, with the loss of ham and cheese sandwiches, baked desserts and cheese jacket potatoes particularly missed by children. Many children opted for packed lunches instead – spot checks by Mr Consiglio and his team on packed lunches at the school found all contained crisps and a chocolate bar.
Mr Consiglio commented: ‘By making standards more prescriptive and rigid, we could see many familiar and well-liked foods fall off daily menus and subsequently push away the very parents and children we’re trying to support and attract with healthier options at mealtimes’. He also noted that during the pilot catering costs increased by 20p per meal, due to ingredients being more expensive. The government currently funds school meals in England at £2.61 per pupil. While this will rise to £2.66 in September, it compares unfavourably to the current per pupil rates of £3.10 in Northern Ireland, £3.30 in Scotland and £3.40 in Wales. Research from Northumbria University last year found caterers were already charging schools an average of £3.00 per meal.
NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack commented: ‘Teachers see the reality of children who are hungry every morning. Encouraging healthier menus is of course welcome, but they will not help the pupils who come to school hungry and who don’t have a proper meal at home. The Government’s announcement acknowledges the challenges around children’s health and ensuring they can make healthy meal choices. But it fails to confront what NASUWT teachers tell us, that poverty and hunger are keeping children out of school, damaging their wellbeing and undermining their ability to learn. Cost pressures are already forcing schools to make difficult choices and bodies representing school catering have said meeting existing standards is challenging because funding has not kept pace with inflation.’ Mr Wrack went to call for the introduction of universal free school meals.
A DfE spokesperson said:‘Our new school food standards were thoroughly tested with caterers, schools and nutritional experts to make sure they are deliverable, realistic and don’t have detrimental knock-on effects to parents and pupils. Throughout this process we found that many schools across the country are already creating affordable, delicious meals that meet these standards, with some seeing increases in uptake of up to 220% following improvements to the menu. Several saw the cost of meals fall. Different schools trialled different options, as you would expect of any trial, and the findings informed the proposals we published this week – including a phased approach that will give caterers time to adapt. We want to hear from as many schools, parents and caterers as possible through the consultation to make sure we get this right.’
The consultation on the new food standards runs until 12 June 2026.