How half of all school dinners are still ‘unhealthy’
HALF of school meals are failing to achieve basic nutritional standards, say inspectors.
Strict official guidelines for the level of salt, calories and sugar in each meal are not being met half of schools which were visited.
The figures seen by The Scottish Mail on Sunday have sparked fears that the meals served up by school cooks are contributing to the country’s obesity epidemic.
In the past two years, health and nutrition inspectors assessed school meal provision at 116 primary and secondary schools north of the Border. Only 57 met the standards.
Breaches ranged from meals being packed with too much salt or too little fibre and carbohydrate to full-fat milk being served instead of semiskimmed milk.
Ross Thomson, schools spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said: ‘We need to improve food and drink in schools. If children learn these good habits early they will last a lifetime, and that’s essential for the health of the nation.
‘I hope these failings serve as a wake-up call and that next time there is a vast improvement.’
Following Jamie Oliver’s campaign to improve school meals, the Government drew up a set of school meal standards in 2008.
The rules say at least two types of fruit and two types of vegetables should be provided every day and menus should contain no more than three deep-fried items a week. Primary school meals should have no more than 557 calories, 21.7g of fat and 16.3g of sugars, while secondary lunches can have 664 calories, 25.8g of fat and 19.5g of sugars.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Where issues are identified, inspectors work with schools and local authorities to address concerns, many of which can be relatively minor.’
An Education Scotland spokesman said: ‘When an issue has been identified at a school level, staff take action, and the majority are resolved.
‘Where the issue is at a local authority level, Education Scotland staff will liaise with catering services to agree what action will be taken and to continue to support them until satisfactory resolution.’