England considers official school meal checks to close nutritional standards gap

The Department for Education plans to introduce mandatory inspections of school kitchens to ensure meals meet fat, salt and sugar guidelines, backed by increased oversight and support following concerns over compliance.

England’s schools could soon face official checks if they serve meals that are too high in fat, salt or sugar, as the Department for Education moves to tighten enforcement of existing nutrition rules. The plan is meant to close a long-standing gap between the standards on paper and what some pupils are actually being fed in school kitchens.

The current rules already require state-funded schools in England to provide balanced meals with fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, dairy, meat or poultry, and oily fish, while limiting foods high in fat, salt and sugar. But the Guardian reported that compliance is patchy, with many breaches going unnoticed because monitoring has been weak. Research published last week found that three-quarters of secondary schools were serving items such as chips, burgers and hash browns more often than the standards allow.

Officials are considering a system that would extend the role of environmental health officers, who already inspect food premises, so they can also check school kitchens for compliance. According to the Guardian, schools found to be falling short would be told to improve their food and given support to do so. The department’s broader reform drive already includes requiring every school to name a governor responsible for food and to publish its food policy and menu online.

The move comes after pressure from campaigners including School Food Matters and chef Jamie Oliver, who have argued that guidance alone has not been enough. Ministers have been studying recommendations from the School Food Review, a coalition of 38 diet, education and children’s health organisations, which has pushed for stronger oversight, including a possible role for the Food Standards Agency and Ofsted. Lucy Powell, the education secretary, is reported to favour expanding the Food Standards Agency’s remit, while the agency’s chair, Susan Jebb, is said to be supportive of better compliance.

A pilot in 18 council areas in 2022-23 found that adding school-food checks to existing hygiene inspections took only 15 to 30 minutes and was straightforward to administer, according to the Food Standards Agency’s evaluation. Schools were generally willing to take part, though some that were found to be non-compliant improved their menus while others resisted change. Local council leaders have warned that falling numbers of environmental health officers could make any new enforcement duty difficult to deliver at scale, especially alongside their wider responsibilities for cafes, restaurants and other food businesses.