In July this year, it was reported that more primary pupils are eating school dinners, now that they have become healthier. A survey carried out by the School Food Trust and the Local Authority Caterers Association (Laca) found that take-up of school meals across English primary schools now stands at more than 43%, an increase of 2.3% on last year.
But secondary school pupils are continuing to reject school meals, with take-up falling this year. Prue Leith, chair of the School Food Trust, said: "Teenagers are independent young people, and changing entrenched eating habits does not happen overnight. They need food education and encouragement from schools to change their eating habits."
The schools secretary, Ed Balls, concluded that primary schools had "turned a corner" but acknowledged that more needed to be done. "Over three million children are eating school dinners, a rise of 50,000 on last year. We've turned a corner in primary schools, and the steep fall last year in secondary schools has been halted. But we know there is still a huge job ahead. The School Food Trust is making good progress, and I know it will now redouble its efforts, in particular, ensuring that the 230,000 children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who need it most, are not missing out on a free healthy meal every school day."
Diet is increasingly being seen as central to unlocking the potential of children as well as being critical to their health. Improved nutrition and food habits can play a part in enhancing wellbeing and emotional welfare, and are an important part of addressing the need to reduce the number of overweight and obese children. Since poorer eating is regularly associated with low income, improving food in schools can help address children's poverty. There is a body of evidence which links children's diets to their immediate and long-term health, whilst experience from schools suggests that when children eat a balanced diet they find it easier to concentrate in the classroom and their behaviour is significantly improved.
The new nutritional standards, which schools must now meet, ensure that high-quality meat, poultry or oily fish are regularly available. In addition, there must be at least two portions of fruit and vegetables with every meal and bread, other cereals and potatoes should be regularly available. Controls have also been introduced on other types of foods such as deep-fried food, which is now limited to no more than two portions per week. Fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate and other confectioneries have also now been removed from school meals and vending machines.
The new standards for school food - other than lunches - became mandatory from September 2007 and include vending services. Where vending is used as part of lunchtime provision, it must also comply with the standards for school lunches. This is to ensure children are given every opportunity to consume foods that offer them positive nutrition, while educating them on the importance of a healthy, varied and balanced diet, which should of course be coupled with regular physical activity.
In fact, all food and drinks provided at lunchtime must be included in the nutrient analysis, including the vending machines that pupils can access at lunchtime. The School Food Trust guide to the nutrient-based standards will be available soon. This will include information on how to calculate an average school lunch, which must meet the nutrient-based standards.
Undoubtedly at first meeting the nutrient standards is going to be complex for schools. Finding the right partners in the vending industry will be essential. When trying to identify a suitable contractor for vending machines, a good place to start is by contacting the local authority's procurement services, the Automatic Vending Association www.ava-vending.org and the Health Education Trust www.healthedtrust.com. Other avenues include healthy schools co-ordinators, national and regional school conferences and exhibitions including LACA.
Martin Lines, marketing director, Nestlé Professional points out that vending can not only offer schools a healthy and convenient catering option, it can also help generate revenue. "Each and every one of us is witnessing the effect of the credit crunch, and with falling budgets to contend with, school and college caterers are no exception. Caterers looking for improved revenues should look to vending and dispense systems. Hot beverages are an easy way to generate incremental revenue and should be a major consideration for the education sector.
"School and college caterers could also consider the health and social benefits of providing hot beverages. Coffee is a source of antioxidants and caffeine can improve alertness. Coffee also counts towards your 6-8 glasses of fluid a day, helping contribute to your hydration levels. The right cup of coffee can really help the motivation and wellbeing of students and staff, delivering better results all round," he adds.
For those schools who do have difficulties in implementing all the government guidelines due to costs or lack of facilities, there is some funding available from the government. In September 2006, the Secretary of State found funds to support the installation of kitchens in schools where currently there are none, and where there is exceptional need which could not reasonably be funded from other sources. £150m of targeted funding was made available between 2008 and 2011.
Five local authorities applied for around £47m of the grant, which will be allocated. DCSF Ministers have now decided that the remainder, £100m, should be offered to all authorities who submit plans to increase school lunch take-up by building or refurbishing school kitchens or improving dining areas and facilities. Formal bids for this capital funding must be sent by February 2009 but Expressions of Interest are required by Christmas 2008.
Jamie Oliver has professed himself to be pleased with the improvements that have been put in place by the Government since he started his crusade four years ago but he is the first to admit that the battle is far from over. "I always said this would take 10 years to really see results, but it looks like the corner has been turned, certainly in primary schools, in just three years and that's a fantastic achievement," he said.
