VIEWS & OPINION


How to create a great school food culture and increase the uptake of school meals


Comment by MELANIE COOPER, business development manager & educational catering specialist at MKG Foods


While schools have made huge strides in improving the standard of food offerings available to students, The Independent School Food Plan, published by the Department for Education [DfE], found that the uptake of school meals remained worrying low at a mere 43%, with many still believing packed lunches are a healthier option than meals provided by schools. However, only 1% of packed lunches were found to meet the nutritional standards that currently apply to school food. It is far easier to provide the necessary nutritional requirements of


the Government’s School Food Standards in a cooked meal than a packed lunch, and for many children living in poverty and those from low-income households, school lunches may be their only hot meal of the day. A December 2020 report from Public Health England [PHE] found


that as a nation we are failing to meet the Government’s healthy eating guidelines by consuming too much saturated fat, salt and refined sugar and too little fibre, and these habits are trickling down to our children, with many consuming twice the recommended level of sugar, and only 8% of 11-18 year olds eating the recommended 5 a-day of fruits and vegetables. While the DfE has set out guidelines for healthy eating in the


Government’s School Food Standards Initiative, what is required is a “whole-school” approach to implementing positive eating habits and behaviours in our children, and the development of an improved food culture in schools to increase the uptake of school meals. What can the Government do to help? The Guardian estimated that by 2035, obesity will cost the NHS


over £15bn a year, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health reported that almost one in three children are overweight or obese when they start primary school. While the public health aspect is of great concern, the issues surrounding a positive food culture in schools can also have an impact on learning and attainment, with poor food choices impacting concentration and behaviour in the classroom, affecting the ability of children to achieve their full potential at school. While the DfE has set out standards for food in schools, a report for


Parliament from independent charity, the Food Foundation, found that up to 60% of secondary schools were failing to comply with these standards, and there is currently no formal or public reporting on school compliance, nor does the DfE require the provision of evidence to demonstrate compliance. What is required from the Government is a system for monitoring and reporting how well schools are complying with the current food standards. The Government has also proposed legislation to raise an extra


£3.4bn a year from a salt and sugar tax to fund an expansion of free school meals, which would be instrumental in increasing the uptake of school meals. Currently, only children from households with an income of less


than £7,400 can qualify for free school meals, meaning many children from low-income households which exceed this very low


December 2021


threshold still go hungry. Increasing the threshold to £20,000 would make an extra 1.1 million children eligible, and would help reduce this diet-related inequality, while ensuring more children than ever received a balanced meal at least once a day. How can schools improve their food culture? Improving the overall food culture of schools requires taking a


holistic approach to food that goes beyond lunchtimes and works to instil positive attitudes and behaviours towards food in children, enabling them to make healthy choices as the default option. Schools are legally required to teach nutrition and cooking skills to


all children up to the age of 14, but this does not always happen, and when it does it is often treated as an additional, frivolous activity rather than a core skill. Schools can mitigate this by giving children consistent, positive


messages about nutrition and food both in lessons and at lunchtimes and implementing cookery and food growing and preparation as a way of enriching subjects across the curriculum. Treating lunchtimes as another part of the school day, and the


dining hall as an extra classroom is another way schools can entrench positive attitudes towards food and provide education on good food choices to children outside of the classroom. Catering staff should be treated as key team members by bringing them to parents’ evenings to answer parents’ questions about their children’s eating habits. It is important that regular evaluations are made regarding the


food on offer at lunchtimes to ensure food is appealing in both appearance and taste. Offering a mix of new and familiar foods is also a great way to encourage children to try and experiment with foods they may otherwise not have tried, while ensuring their food choices will provide them with a balanced and nutritional meal. It is also important to consider the environment in which students


eat their lunch. Making sure the facilities provided are both safe and comfortable will encourage more children to eat a school lunch. Schools can achieve this by making their canteens and dining halls attractive, engaging places to be, and allowing students enough time to eat their lunch as well as partake in social and extra-curricular activities in their lunch breaks. How food suppliers can support schools Creating a positive culture around food in schools is a big


undertaking, but schools do not have to do it alone. A reputable food supplier can provide schools with their own extensive expertise to help them achieve a greater uptake of school meals. A good food supplier will also offer a large range of school


compliant alternatives to unhealthy snacks and confectionary that include vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and plant-based choices. Options such as bagels, wraps and fresh fruit and vegetable pots, as well as hot choices that use non fried fresh products, all of which can be discussed with the food supplier, will empower children to make healthier choices not only at lunchtimes but also during their snack breaks. Schools can also utilise other resources from food suppliers, such as


using on-demand product description and nutritional information to create school menus available to both children and parents online to encourage them to opt for a school lunch over bringing food from home. By working closely with food suppliers to discuss different food


options, schools can create healthy, nutritional menus that engage children with food, and encourage them to make better food choices, while mitigating the health concerns of childhood obesity and an improper diet.


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