Schools in England could be reprimanded for serving food high in fat, salt, or sugar as the Department for Education (DfE) finalises plans for a new enforcement system. This system aims to ensure all 21,500 state-funded schools comply with existing nutrition standards.
Currently, violations of these mandatory standards, which were introduced in 2014 to combat childhood obesity, often go undetected due to a lack of effective monitoring. Research last week indicated that three-quarters of secondary schools serve unhealthy items like chips, burgers, and hash browns more frequently than permitted.
Ministers reportedly intend to address this by expanding the role of environmental health officers (EHOs) to include checks on nutrition standards during their school kitchen inspections. Schools found in breach would be instructed to improve their food offerings and provided with assistance.
The DfE committed to developing this enforcement system in April and expects it to launch in September 2027, allowing schools time to adjust their menus. The education secretary, Lucy Powell, reportedly favours expanding the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) remit to improve compliance, with discussions ongoing between the DfE, FSA, and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities regarding EHOs taking on this additional role.
A 2022/23 pilot in 18 council areas found that adding nutrition checks to existing hygiene inspections took only 15 to 30 minutes and schools were willing to facilitate them. While some non-compliant schools improved their food, others did not.