Is it the main meal option that has to be compliant with the nutrient-based standards, or all items provided at lunchtime?
‘School lunch’ is defined within the Education Act (2002) as meaning ‘food made available for consumption by the pupil as his midday meal on a school day’. Where a school deems the food chosen by a pupil is to be consumed as their ‘midday meal’, the food would need to meet the lunchtime standards including, when introduced, the nutrient-based standards. Therefore, the nutrient-based standards apply to all food and drink included as part of the lunchtime provision (e.g. main meals, desserts, drinks, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, salad bar etc) and not just to the main meal option. In practice this means that all food and drink provided as part of a school lunch should be included in the calculation of an average school lunch (with the exception of the extra bread).
Related Questions
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- Is it the main meal option that has to be compliant with the nutrient-based standards, or all items provided at lunchtime?
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