More than 2,000 young people and staff across 36 secondary schools in the Midlands took part in the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded FUEL study. The study aimed to find out how well UK Government’s school food standards were being adhered to.
The study found on average only 64% of the school food standards were met by schools during the three-year study period. Schools met 81% of standards applying to lunchtime food options but only 43% of standards applying to food options across the whole day, including breakfast and break times.
Students said that taste, value-for-money and convenience were the most important to them when selecting their food. Many of the students who took part in the research noted that school canteens could be busy and stressful leading many of them choosing to bring in their own food from home.
Miranda Pallan, professor of child and adolescent public health at the University of Birmingham and lead author of the study said: “This is the first study of its kind to take a detailed look at secondary school food provision and adherence to school food standards.
“We saw the highest adherence to standards for food served at lunchtimes and poorer adherence to standards for food served at break and other times during the school day. Many of the students we spoke to talked about the importance of convenience and the negative experience in canteens affecting food choices.
“Schools have a difficult balance to make when looking at healthy eating provision, with tight budgets and a student body who will vote with their feet if the food choice doesn’t meet their needs. One area where schools may be able to improve is through consultation with students about designing menus that try to balance the demands for taste and convenience with providing healthy options.”