Nutritional requirements for food and drink in schools: consultation

Theme Two – reduce the sugar content of school food and drink provided in schools

Introduction

It is well documented that children and young people in Scotland are consuming too much sugar in their diets and that this can have a serious impact on their health. The sugar content of school food and drink is already restricted by the existing school food and drink Regulations. But since they were introduced, the Scottish Ministers agreed to the Scottish Dietary Goals being updated to reflect dietary advice from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition ( SACN) recommending that sugar intake is reduced further. As such our intention is to amend the school food and drink Regulations to reduce the amount of sugar provided by food and drink at lunchtimes and at all other times of the day, for example morning break or from vending machines.

In particular we are proposing to introduce a limit on the frequency of provision of sweetened and baked foods typically high in sugar in primary schools at lunchtime, along with introducing sugar limits for products such as breakfast cereals, yoghurts, sweetened and baked products across the school day. This is designed to reduce sugar provision over the school day and encourage more consumption of fruit and lower sugar alternatives.

In addition we are proposing changes to the lists of permitted drinks.

For primary schools we aim to reinforce the message that water, plain lower fat milk and calcium enriched milk alternatives should be the main focus with no added sugar, lower fat milk drinks (for example flavoured milk and hot chocolate) and drinking yoghurts being permitted at the discretion of schools and local authorities to allow additional choice. Fruit juice, vegetable juice, smoothies and fruit juice combinations will no longer be on the permitted drinks list, due to their high sugar content.

For secondary schools we aim to reinforce the message that water, plain lower fat milk and calcium enriched milk alternatives should be the main focus with tea, coffee, no added sugar, lower fat milk drinks (for example flavoured milk and hot chocolate), drinking yoghurts and sugar free drinks (excluding high caffeine) being permitted at the discretion of schools and local authorities to allow additional choice. Fruit juice, vegetable juice, smoothies and fruit juice combinations will no longer be on the permitted drinks list, due to their high sugar content.

There is already a duty on schools to ensure drinking water is made available to pupils, free of charge.

Question Two

What are your views on our intention to amend the current school food and drink Regulations to ensure the amount of sugar children and young people can access over the course of the school day is reduced.