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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to schools to encourage (a) healthier option school meals and (b) healthier packed lunches to be brought into schools. [197932] Mr. Stephen Twigg: We introduced regulations setting minimum nutritional standards for school lunches on 1 April 2001. They allow children to choose healthy and enjoyable school meals. We also produced guidance entitled "Healthy School Lunches" for school caterers on implementing these standards. The guidance can be viewed on the website: www.dfes.gov.uk/schoollunches. We are taking forward a number of projects following the recent publication of the findings of the Department for Education and Skills and Food Standards Agency (FSA) evaluation of secondary school meals and to help achieve the objectives outlined within the Healthy Living Blueprint which was launched on 6 September 2004. These projects aim to improve school food and reinforce healthy eating messages taught in the classroom. The Blueprint and supporting website can be viewed at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/healthyliving. This Department, together with the Department of Health (DoH), is jointly funding a Food in Schools (FiS) programme. The DoH strand comprises eight pilot projects one of which addresses healthier packed lunches. Good practice identified through FiS will help schools promote a clear and consistent message about diet and nutrition. The FSA in September 2003 provided suggestions on healthy packed lunches. This can be viewed on their website: www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2003/sep/ lunchbox.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

426 c1297-8W;426 c1301-2W; 197932

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Pupils Nutrition Standards Schools School meals

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk