New food standards for schools published

• No more than two portions of starchy food cooked in fat or oil (i.e. chips) a week.
• Bread which doesn’t have added fat or oil must be available every day.
• One or more portions of starchy food must be served every day, with three or more different types each week.
• One or more starchy wholegrain foods must be provided each week.

Fruit and veg

• One or more portions of veg must be provided as an accompaniment every day.
• One or more portions of fruit must be provided every day.
• A fruit-based dessert with a content of over 50% fruit must be provided two or more times a week.
• At least three different vegetables and three different fruits must be provided a week.

Meat, fish and other non-dairy protein sources

• One portion of meat, fish, eggs, beans or other non-dairy protein source must be provided every day. A non-dairy source of protein must be available three or more days a week for vegetarians.
• Meat or poultry must be on offer on three or more days a week.
• Oily fish must be served once or more every three weeks.
• Meat products such as meat pies, sausages, burgers or other shaped or coated meat product must not be provided more than once a week in primary schools, or twice a week in secondary schools.

Milk and dairy

• A portion of dairy food must be made available every day.
• A portion of lower fat milk should be made available for drinking every day during school (not including at breakfast or after school clubs).

Fatty and sugary foods

• No more than two deep-fried, batter-coated or breadcrumb-coated foods should be available per week.
• No more than two portions of food including pastry can be served each week.
• Desserts, cakes and biscuits are only to be supplied at lunchtime, excluding yoghurt or fruit-based desserts with a content of at least 50% fruit.
• No snacks except ‘healthy’ ones with no added salt, sugar or fat (nuts, seeds, fruit and veg) can be provided across the school day. Savoury crackers or breadsticks may be served with lunch.
• Salt mustn’t be available to be added by pupils to food after cooking.

Drinks

• Fresh drinking water must be free and available at all times.
• Drinks are restricted to water, fruit juice, soya drinks and other similar healthy options. Fruit juices are capped at 150ml servings in line with Public Health England recommendations on portion sizes.

The full set of guidelines can be read here.

Do you think the new guidelines are sensible? Are the restrictions on deep-fried and other fatty foods now tight enough, or does more need to be done? Or should the Government not be interfering in this matter at all? Let us know what you think in the Comments below.