Nutrition rules 'will drive children away from school dinners'

NEW rules designed to make school dinners more nutritious will drive pupils out of the canteen to buy junk food from nearby shops, caterers warned today.

From September, all meals served in state secondary schools must comply with minimum nutritional standards governing levels of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals in food.

But the Local Authority Caterers Association, which represents catering managers, said the rules could kill off the school meals service in England.

Eighty per cent of caterers thought limiting pupils' choice would see teenagers leave school at break time in search of a more interesting lunch.

After TV chef Jamie Oliver campaigned for better school food four years ago ministers banned sweets and fizzy drinks from vending machines and set limits on levels of salt and fat in meals. These changes, designed as part of a drive to reduce childhood obesity, saw a fall in the number of pupils eating school dinners, although take-up is beginning to recover in primary schools.

Now the Government is introducing highly technical rules for the minimum nutritional standards of food served in schools. A typical school lunch must contain at least 7.5g of protein and 5.2mg of iron, for example. But the caterers association's chairman Neil Porter said cooks would need computers to design menus that meet the new standards. Half of school caterers will not be ready in time.

Mr Porter said: "At the moment, the only feasible way of ensuring that nutrient standards are achieved is by offering students a two-course set meal option but the system is not in place in secondary schools to support this type of service. The result of imposing a two-course lunch on students, with little or no alternative, will result in them purchasing the food items from the high street that they can no longer buy in school. These will often be far less nutritious."

Two-thirds of secondary schools do not have rules forcing children to stay on site at lunch time, according to the association's survey.

"Teenagers will not choose the new food on offer - before they had multiple choice menus," Mr Porter said.

He called for a "common sense approach" to regulating school dinners. The association was holding a "summit" to highlight its members' difficulties in Westminster today.

The School Food Trust, the body set up to lead the Government's drive, said appealing meals could still be produced under the new rules. A spokesman said: "The nutrient-based standards are challenging but there is a very valid reason for them. It is important they are in place to ensure we promote the health, well-being and achievements of students."