School Meals in Secondary Schools in England

Following concern about the quality of children’s diets and the contribution of school meals, statutory National Nutritional Standards were reintroduced in April 2001. These standards set out the frequency with which school caterers must provide items from the main food groups (starchy foods, milk and dairy, fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and alternative sources of protein). They apply to all maintained schools in England.

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned a survey to assess compliance with the standards and to measure food consumption in secondary school pupils. This report presents the findings from a nationally representative sample survey of 79 secondary schools in England which provided information about catering practice and food provision at lunchtime, and information on the food selections of 5 695 secondary school pupils age 11-18 years.