Do the final food-based standards require us to provide a portion of fruit and a portion of vegetables for every pupil, or just to have them available for the pupils that choose them?
The final food-based standards for school lunches require at least one portion of fruit and at least one portion of vegetables or salad to be provided per pupil per day. Fruit can be provided as fresh fruit, fruit tinned in juice, fruit salad, fruit juice, dried fruit, or as part of a fruit-based dessert (e.g. apple crumble, fruit sponge or yoghurt with fruit). Vegetables can be provided as fresh, frozen or tinned varieties, whether cooked, offered as a salad or as part of a dish (e.g. vegetable curry or broccoli quiche). Baked beans and pulses also count as vegetables, but potatoes and spaghetti hoops are starchy foods and do not. Some ideas for increasing fruit and vegetable provision include: • Include vegetables in main meals where possible, or include a portion of salad, carrot sticks or coleslaw with sandwiches • Include a portion of fruit in as many dessert options as possible. Fruit can be included into jelly pots, and included as an ingredient into hot desserts and tray bakes
