Nutritional requirements for food and drink in schools: consultation

Theme Four - A change to the application of nutrient standards in secondary schools

Introduction

Young people in secondary schools buy and consume food and drinks in a very different way to primary school children. For a wide range of reasons, most tend not to sit down and eat a hot two course lunch in the middle of the day, and the consumption of foods outwith the lunch period is far more prevalent. Furthermore, most services sell items individually meaning planning provision to meet the nutrient standards does not always lead to the outcome intended. This makes applying nutrient standards in secondary schools challenging.

Our intention is to change the school food and drink Regulations so school meal providers need to demonstrate that young people can still choose and consume a meal which meets their nutritional requirements, whilst simultaneously introducing a wider range of food and drink standards across the full school day. These additional food and drink standards, for example, a restriction on the number of pastry products, and a restriction on the amount of sugar and fat contained in sweetened and baked goods, aim to bring all food and drinks provided in secondary schools closer to the Scottish Dietary Goals.

Question Four

What are your views on our intention to amend the school food and drink Regulations to enable caterers to provide a service which better supports secondary age pupils to make balanced and nutritious food and drink choices as part of their school day.