Most English secondary schools are breaking healthy food rules, finds report

‘Shocking’ breaches such as sweets and crisps at breakfast uncovered just before expansion of free school meals

Three-quarters of secondary schools in England are breaking the rules on food offered to pupils by serving chips, burgers and hash browns too often – and sweets and crisps at breakfast time, according to a report.

“Shocking” breaches of school food standards have been exposed on Monday, in a new analysis of the food provided at almost 400 state secondaries undertaken by Bite Back, a food charity set up by the chef Jamie Oliver.

D’Arcy Williams, Bite Back’s chief executive, said the picture of schools’ widespread noncompliance with the government-set standards that emerged from its analysis was alarming.

Three out of four menus it analysed at 391 state secondary schools in England contained at least one breach of the standards. Most involved schools offering unhealthy foods more often than is allowed.

At 206 schools (53%), products high in fat, sugar or salt that are meant to be banned altogether – such as crisps, Oreos, Mini Cheddars, chocolate bars and pastries – were being offered to pupils to buy as snacks, including at breakfast time and at lunchtime. Schools are allowed to sell only nuts, seeds, plain vegetables and plain fruit as snacks.

There were 224 schools (57%) providing meat products such as burgers, nuggets, sausages and goujons more often than the twice a week permitted by the standards.

Hash browns, which as a fried starchy food should be a menu option only twice a week, were being offered more often than that at 144 schools (37%).

There were 123 schools (31%) using chocolate in solid form, such as chocolate chips or chocolate coating, as an ingredient in dessert or bakes, despite it being banned.

“These findings are very alarming and expose a system that is fundamentally failing our children,” said Williams.

“It is shocking to find crisps and chocolate being pushed at breakfast time or processed meats like sausage rolls and bacon baps being served far more frequently than the rules allow.

“Young people have been telling us for years that their school food is ‘beige, bland and boring’ and now we have more evidence that they are being surrounded by unhealthy food throughout the school day.

“Schools should be a sanctuary for health and learning, yet the current postcode lottery of food quality is undermining that mission.”

But in other findings that parents may find reassuring, only eight schools (2%) were flouting the ban on selling confectionery such as KitKats, Haribo sweets and Maltesers as standalone items. And even fewer – just three schools (1%) – were selling banned sugary drinks such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta and Sprite.