Written question asked by Peter Dowd (Labour) on Monday, 13 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. It was answered by Paul Waugh (Labour) on Monday, 3 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

School Meals: Standards

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from children and young people on improving the healthiness of school food as part of the proposed updated School Food Standards.

Answer

The department knows that children and young people’s own experiences are key to shaping effective school food standards. To support this, the department has been engaging with children and young people to understand what they eat at school, what they enjoy, and what they would like to see improved.

As part of the consultation, the department has worked with youth organisations, such as the Food Foundation’s Young Food Ambassadors and Bite Back 2030.This is to ensure that the consultation responses they submitted capture the views of children and young people, helping the department build a rounded picture of what matters to children in their day-to-day school life.

The consultation ran from 13 April 2026 to 12 June 2026 and the department is analysing the responses. The results of the consultation and the department's response will be published on GOV.UK in September 2026.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 18051
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Children Standards Young people School meals
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

School Meals: Standards

Secondary information

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