Increase access to fruit and vegetables
1. What are your views on our intention to amend the current school food and drink Regulations to ensure children and young people are able to access more fruit and vegetables as part of their school day?
What are your views on our intention to amend the current school food and drink Regulations to ensure children and young people are able to access more fruit and vegetables as part of their school day.
I think that this is a god thing, as long as it doesn't become prescriptive and turn them off lunch so that, in secondary school, more leave the school and buy lunch from schools. Also, it's not just about offering fruit and vegetables - it is about how well these are presented.
Reduce the sugar content of school food and drink provided in schools
2. What are your views on our intention to amend the current school food and drink Regulations to ensure the amount of sugar children and young people can access over the course of the school day is reduced?
What are your views on our intention to amend the current school food and drink Regulations to ensure the amount of sugar children and young people can access over the course of the school day is reduced.
If this means that authorities can offer low calorie carbonated drinks such as Diet Irn Bru and Diet Coke, I believe this is a step back, and the effects of aspartame have to be taken into account. Not only that but there are studies that show that drinking low calorie carbonated drinks actually make people crave sugar. Should we be really going down this route?
Provision of red and red processed meat
3. What are your views on our intention to amend the school food and drink Regulations to set a maximum for red and red processed meat in primary school lunches and for overall provision in secondary schools?
What are your views on our intention to amend the school food and drink Regulations to set a maximum for red and red processed meat in primary school lunches and for overall provision in secondary schools
What level are you proposing - there is not sufficient information to make a comment on this?
A change to the application of nutrient standards in secondary schools
4. What are your views on our intention to amend the school food and drink Regulations to enable caterers to provide a service which better supports secondary age pupils to make balanced and nutritious food and drink choices as part of their school day?
What are your views on our intention to amend the school food and drink Regulations to enable caterers to provide a service which better supports secondary age pupils to make balanced and nutritious food and drink choices as part of their school day.
The trouble is that most secondary school children do not eat a full meal anymore. The culture has changed to a more cafe society where pupils want to take away their food, exacerbated by the lack of seatings in school dining halls.
My worry here is that with the school meal only accounting for 18% of a pupil's overall intake - if they eat a school meal every day that one is available, that you are actually missing the problem. With school meal uptake in secondary school at between 16% and 40 % in some local authorities you need to concentrate on what the pupils area eating during the 82% when they are not in school. Schools cannot be used as the end means to ending obesity, especially when the majority of Head teachers show no interest in the catering service, and so there is a disconnect between education and the school meals service.
There is a potential of driving more pupils out of school and that will actually have a negative effect on obesity levels.
My worry here is that with the school meal only accounting for 18% of a pupil's overall intake - if they eat a school meal every day that one is available, that you are actually missing the problem. With school meal uptake in secondary school at between 16% and 40 % in some local authorities you need to concentrate on what the pupils area eating during the 82% when they are not in school. Schools cannot be used as the end means to ending obesity, especially when the majority of Head teachers show no interest in the catering service, and so there is a disconnect between education and the school meals service.
There is a potential of driving more pupils out of school and that will actually have a negative effect on obesity levels.
Any other comments
5. Do you have anything else you wish to comment on in relation to the nutritional content of food and drink provided in local authority, and grant maintained, schools in Scotland via the School food and drink Regulations?
Do you have anything else you wish to comment on in relation to the nutritional content of food and drink provided in local authority, and grant maintained, schools in Scotland via the School food and drink Regulations?
If you were to go into a restaurant, had to queue for ten minutes, weren't sure if you were always going to get the meal you wanted, and be told that you only had 20 minutes to eat it. plus you might not get a seat next to who you came into the restaurant with, would you really want to come back to that restaurant?
That's what we are asking school pupils to do.
You need to look at other related issues, such as seating, ambience and staggered lunches, if you are going to be serious about any affect.
It's not just about nutritional guidelines.
That's what we are asking school pupils to do.
You need to look at other related issues, such as seating, ambience and staggered lunches, if you are going to be serious about any affect.
It's not just about nutritional guidelines.
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