§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provisions are in place to ensure that school meals are balanced and follow the guidelines set down by the Department of Health for healthy eating. [141920]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggIn April 2001, this Department introduced regulations that set nutritional standards for school lunches, together with complementary guidance to assist caterers in preparing school meals. The standards are based on the Government's "Balance of Good Health"—a pictorial representation of the five292W food groups that make up a healthy balanced diet. The standards prescribe the types of foods that should be available from the four main food groups, along with the frequency with which they should be served. The four main food groups are: fruit and vegetables; starchy foods; meat, fish and other non dairy sources of protein; and milk and dairy foods.
Research, jointly commissioned by this Department and the Food Standards Agency, is currently underway in 80 secondary schools in England. This will assess whether the food available at lunchtime meets the requirements of the standards and associated guidance. We expect the findings of this exercise to be available in late spring 2004.