New school meal standards in England to ban deep-fried food and cut sugar
School dinners in England will get new rules from September 2027: deep-fried food banned, sugary treats limited, more fruit and veg, amid concerns over costs.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government has announced a major overhaul of school food standards in England, described by ministers as the most significant package of changes in a generation. From September 2027, deep-fried foods will be completely removed from school menus, and sugary drinks and desserts such as ice cream and waffles will be restricted. Cakes and sweet puddings will only be allowed once a week in primary schools and twice a week in secondary schools. Every main meal must include at least one portion of vegetables or salad, and white bread and pasta will be swapped for wholegrain or 50/50 products. Processed meats such as sausages and ham will be limited to once a week, while more lentils, chickpeas, and other fibre-rich foods are encouraged. For the first time, school breakfast clubs will also have to follow nutrition rules, banning pastries and fried eggs at breakfast.
The changes are aimed at tackling childhood obesity and tooth decay. The government notes that one in three children leaves primary school overweight or obese, and tooth decay is the main reason five to nine year olds are admitted to hospital. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the changes would transform school food and give every child a healthier start. Schools will be required to publish menus online and will be monitored by the Food Standards Agency.
However, the announcement has been met with mixed reactions. School leaders and headteachers have broadly welcomed the ambition but warn that the changes come without additional funding. Many schools already struggle with tight budgets, and the loss of income from less healthy items such as pizza and paninis could put further pressure on catering. As one headteacher noted, a kilogram of chicken nuggets costs the same as two chicken breasts, making it difficult to provide healthier options without extra money. The government insists it is providing support, including £2.3 billion extra into school budgets this year and an additional £1 billion for free school meals, on top of the existing £1.5 billion. But critics argue that school meals only account for a small fraction of a child's annual meals, around 17%, and that tackling obesity requires changes in home eating habits and exercise as much as school food.
The debate reflects long-standing concerns about school dinners, which have been a focus of campaigns by celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver for more than two decades. Some schools are already ahead of the curve, having adopted healthier menus voluntarily. In a west London school, pupils praised the changes, with less fatty curries and more vegetables, and air fryers replacing deep fat fryers. But there are also worries that if food becomes too healthy, children might reject it and bring packed lunches instead, which could be less nutritious.
Despite the concerns, the government is pressing ahead. The new standards will apply to all state-funded schools in England, and are expected to be implemented in time for the start of the 2027 school year. The policy also includes a requirement for all pupils to have access to free drinking water and a ban on sweets and chocolate in school meals. Whether it will succeed in changing eating habits remains to be seen, but the political debate over the role of the state in children's nutrition is far from over.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep-fried foods will be completely removed from school meals. | · | · | · | |||
| One in three children leaves primary school overweight or obese. | · | · | · | · | ||
| The changes will take effect from next year. | · | · | · | · | ||
| A head teacher said funding is unlikely to be sufficient. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Cake will be limited to once a week in primary schools and twice a week in secondary schools. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Concerns were raised about the cost of the new school meal changes. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Every main meal must include or be accompanied by a portion of vegetables or salad. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| New rules ban deep-fried foods and limit desserts but do not ban fish and chips entirely. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Previous school meal measures have not reduced childhood obesity. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| School breakfast clubs will have to follow nutrition rules for the first time. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| School meal standards will increase fruit and vegetable portions. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| School meals account for about 17% of a child's meals each year. | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 gives a very brief, factual summary of the headline changes, focusing on the key restrictions: deep-fried food, fruit and veg, cake frequency, and breakfast clubs. It presents the policy without commentary or reaction, simply reporting the announcement as a news item.
- “New standards for school dinners will mean no more deep-fried food and an increase in the amount of fruit and veg being offered to pupils from next year. Cake will only be on the menu once a week in primary schools, twice a week in secondaries. And for the first time, school breakfast clubs will have to follow nutrition rules too.”
BBC TWO's coverage is a political debate on Politics Live. It focuses on the merits and potential pitfalls of the policy, with guests debating whether school meal regulations can actually reduce obesity. The discussion highlights the limited impact of school meals (only 17% of a child's meals), the role of home life, and broader issues of poverty and intergenerational inequality. The tone is analytical and moderately critical, with some support for the principle but doubts about effectiveness.
- “I think it's a great idea. And we should really ultimately remember that when children are in the care of institutions like schools that's in local parenthesis, we are responsible, especially with the 3 million children now in receipt of, who will be in receipt of free school meals. It's our duty to, it's a teaching and learning environment that includes good nutrition.”
- “a long series of measures in schools, all very well intentioned, all easy to justify, anyone can agree with them, but they haven't worked.”
- “about 17% of a child's meals in a year.”
Channel 5's coverage spans two programmes. The lunchtime bulletin gives a terse list of changes, while the evening report is more positive and practical, featuring a school that already adopted healthier menus. It highlights the success of such changes, the availability of air fryers, and the government's funding reassurances. The tone is supportive of the policy while acknowledging implementation challenges. It also includes a reminder of Jamie Oliver's long campaign.
- “This is the biggest overhaul of school food standards in probably over a decade. And I think it's the right thing, it's ambitious, it is the right direction to go but schools will definitely need some support in implementing some of these kind of strict guidelines.”
- “We've given schools an extra 2.3 billion into the school budget this year. That's real money, helping schools provide the best education they can. We're also putting a billion pounds extra into free school meals.”
- “No TV fakery here. Most of the plates were clean.”
BBC ONE West covers the story across two bulletins, with a full report from a primary school in Birmingham. It focuses on the local impact, head teacher reactions, and the health benefits, while highlighting funding worries. The tone is balanced, presenting both the official rationale and the practical concerns of schools. It also mentions the expansion of free school meals to three million children.
- “We completely welcome the government's changes We know how important a nutritional diet is to the well-being to the behavior to the learning of our pupils”
- “I don't think the funding is ever going to be enough. I think it's about how we use it I think we need to be creative with that.”
- “This is more than about just school food. It is about the health of the nation This is one thing we can do finding kids in school every day and putting better food on their plates and it will be Transformative for them as they become teenagers and adults changing their life chances and in the long term Reducing the the huge burden on the NHS the billions that are being spent on diet related illness”
ITV1's coverage is extensive, with two reports from a secondary school in Rotherham. It focuses on the practical and financial implications for schools, including the loss of revenue from less healthy items, the need for new kitchen equipment, and the challenges of cooking from scratch. The tone is concerned but not oppositional, highlighting the real-world difficulties schools face. It also presents the government's defence.
- “Schools will want to match the government's ambition about improving the quality of food that we offer our children. But ultimately, if you can buy a kilogram of chicken nuggets for the same price you can buy two chicken breasts, we've got to have a problem. And what we can't have is head teachers deciding between feeding children and funding the curriculum.”
- “We will need more ovens because we're cooking a lot of the stuff ourselves, more people to get the fresh food ready. So yeah, the cost implications are probably unknown at the moment.”
GB News takes a strongly critical, opinionated stance, framing the policy as part of a 'nanny state' and 'woke' agenda. The panel mocks the changes, defends traditional British food like fish and chips, and argues that obesity is not caused by school meals but by home habits and genetics. The tone is sarcastic and dismissive, with little support for the policy. It also mocks the Education Secretary's statement.
- “Labour's Nanny State is serving up another helping of Woke, and this time school dinners are getting a grilling.”
- “It's all ridiculous, and it won't make any difference. A lot of obesity is genetic”
- “I want my fish and chips. I want my meat and potatoes. I don't want rice, lentils and chickpeas.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.