More than 20 years ago, when I started the campaign and TV series School Dinners, I couldn’t believe that we had standards for dog food but no standards for the food we fed our children at school. I have never, and will never, stop banging that drum – even after this week’s momentous announcement on school food standards in England. Because it is so important we remember where we started from.
Children in the state sector are at school for 190 days a year. And if they’re eating breakfast and lunch there, the majority of what they consume each day is in the hands of their school. When we know that children are consuming less than half the recommended fruit and vegetables, but twice the recommended sugar, school food is a massive opportunity to directly improve diets at scale.
But eating good food around a shared table isn’t just important for children’s health. It’s a core part of a child’s social connection and sense of belonging. Well-fed kids are happier, have more energy and fewer days off school due to sickness, and their learning and behaviour improve, too.
It’s no surprise that 80% of teachers agree that unhealthy food at lunch and breaktime can lead to disruptive behaviour, and 85% say diet affects pupils’ ability to concentrate. But we didn’t need scientific evidence to tell us that – who doesn’t feel and perform better when their bellies are full of the good stuff? Get school food right and the prize is massive.
Not just for children today, but for the adults they will become. Feed children well and we give them a better chance of healthier lives, greater productivity and less long-term pressure on the NHS and social care from diet-related disease. That’s no small change when current estimates are that obesity, and its knock-on consequences, costs the UK economy about £126bn each year.
That is why it’s so great to see the government announce new standards, based on the latest science. It’s the first time in a decade. And it means, for this generation of kids, they will be nourished with more fruit and vegetables, fibre-rich proteins and whole grains.
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