School food is – rather too often – rubbish! School food standards are out of date and applied inconsistently at best. Pizza, chips and nuggets are the easy option – they’re cheap and popular with kids… but didn’t Jamie Oliver sort all this out 20 years ago?
The truth is – speaking as a former teacher and governor – funding constraints, competing priorities and work (over)load makes it hard for schools to give good nutrition the attention and priority that it deserves.
The consequences are grim and the data speaks for itself: in Lincoln, obesity rates in Reception are 12%, but by the end of Primary school, that figure has more than doubled.
Personally, I think our children’s health is a moral issue, and one that we should all care about.
School Food Standards – can policy help?
The government is currently consulting on proposed new standards for school food, designed to bring school food up to date with nutritional guidance.
Changes are designed to:
- Increase fibre (more than 90% of children are eating too little of it, according to the National Diet & Nutrition survey). Every meal will include a portion of veg or salad; bread and carbs will include more wholegrains; and pulses will be on the menu (lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc).
- Reduce sugar (dental decay is now the leading cause for hospital admissions for 5-9 year olds). Pastries and puddings will be restricted; fruit juices off the menu.
- Reduce foods high in fat, sugar & salt. Deep frying will no longer be used, and chips and potato wedges will be served as part of a balanced meal, not a meal in themselves.
- Diversify protein sources. Ultraprocessed is a term that doesn’t appear in the proposed standards, but they do limit both processed meats and veggie/vegan products marketed as meat alternatives. Pulses will be counted as a source of protein; in addition to making plant-based meals more wholesome and nourishing, this could make it easier for schools to serve higher welfare meat by balancing it with (way less expensive) pulses.
The requirement for schools to ensure access to free, fresh drinking water at all times is re-affirmed throughout. (No duh!)
Beyond regulation
As so often the case, regulation by itself is useless and can even backfire – for example, if the more nutritious food is simply wasted, or parents opt for packed lunches that are even less healthy.
The challenge is to serve food that is delicious and appealing, and to give children opportunities and confidence to explore new foods.
That’s where the Sapere approach to sensory food education is so valuable.
Classroom food lessons harness children’s curiosity to use all their senses to engage with a wide range of food and tastes, and use an abundance of language to elaborate the experience.
These skills and confidence underpin lifelong ability to nourish ourselves and each other, and to take pleasure in doing so.
The elephant in the room is funding
The funding allocated to school meals in England is inadequate at £2.61 per meal (compared to £3.40 in Wales and £3.30 in Scotland) and schools often have to top it up, taking resources away from other educational priorities.
School catering roles tend to be poorly paid: low skills and high absenteeism are also common. The uplift in Free School meals this September will help; universal free school meals would be far more cost-effective.
Ultimately, we need to value our school chefs, and the vital and skilled part that they can play in improving health and education.
Interestingly, because the staffing is the largest part of the cost of school meals, the cost of improving the quality of the food itself is relatively small. For example, early calculations by the Welsh Veg in Schools team indicate that switching to organic would add around 3-4p per meal. Imagine the impact that would have on soil health, water quality and wildlife!
Done well, school food is an extraordinarily powerful lever in improving our children’s health (not to mention their behaviour, concentration and educational attainment) but also in reducing inequalities, creating opportunities for the local economy, supporting UK farming, and – importantly – making food a source of joy and connection as well as sustenance.
Lincolnshire County Council will be hosting a lunchtime discussion on school food at the Lincolnshire Food Summit on 14th May. Do come and join in.
Book here: lincolnshirefoodpartnership.org/food-summit-2026/
With thanks to the Lincoln Independent for publishing this article in their May 2026 print edition
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