New guidance overview

Pictures taken from School Food Trust website: http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

School food standards September 2007

A revised guide to the Government’s new food-based standards for school lunches (Sept 07)

Guide to the new food-based standards for food other than lunches (Sept 07).

Revised Parents Guide

What is new?

New Features

More Fruit and Vegetables No change in standard for school lunch (no less than one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables or salad must be available per day per child, a 50% fruit-based dessert twice per week must be provided in primary schools)

In addition to the portion of fruit and vegetables at lunchtime, fruit and vegetables must be provided in any outlet on the school premises where food is available.

It will still be necessary to meet the fruit and vegetable standard, however the 50% fruit-based dessert standard for primary schools will no longer apply.

Meat, Fish and other non-dairy sources of protein No change in standard for school

lunch (a food from this group must be provided on a daily basis, fish must be provided once per week in primary and twice a week in secondary. Of that fish, oily fish must be at least once every 3 weeks. Red meat twice a week in primary and three times a week in secondary)

No, this does not apply across the whole school day

It will still be necessary to comply with the oily fish standard (Once per 3 weeks)

What this food group includes..Fresh, frozen, canned meat, poultry and fish, ham and bacon, eggs, (nuts), dried pulses and beans (other than green beans) and soya products

Vegetarian sources of protein: lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, tofu, lima beans, (nuts)

In primary schools, dairy products (e.g. cheese are an acceptable source of protein)

Fish: includes cod, haddock, plaice, coley, halibut and hake, (pollock)

Oily fish: fresh, canned or frozen salmon, sardines, pilchards, mackerel, herring and fresh or frozen tuna (not canned tuna)

Starchy food

Yes, fat or oil must not be used in the cooking process on more than three days in any week across the school day

Yes, fat or oil must not be used in the cooking process on more than three days in any week across the school day, and bread without added fat or oil must be provided daily

No change in standard for school lunch

A food from this group must be available daily

Bread with no added fat must be provided on a daily basis

Fat or oil should not be used in the cooking process on more than three days in any week

For every day that a starchy food cooked in fat or oil is provided, a starchy food not cooked in fat or oil must also be provided)

Drinking Water

No change in standard for school lunch

YES

YES

Healthier drinks

Expansion on guidance for healthier drinks…

Drinks are now categorised into:

• Plain drinks

• Combination drinks

YES

YES

NEW!

Healthier drinksNEW!

Plain drinks:

• Plain water (still or carbonated)

• Skimmed/Semi-skimmed milk

• Fruit or vegetable juice

• Plain soya, rice or oat drinks

• Plain yoghurt drinks

It is recommended that drinking milk is made available as an option dailyNote: whole milk may be

provided to pupils to the end of the school year in which they reach 5 years of age

Healthier drinksNEW!

Combination drinks:

• Combinations of fruit/vegetable juice with:

a) Water

b) Milk

c) Plain soya, rice or oat drink

• Combinations of milk (skimmed/ss), plain yoghurt or plain soya, rice or oat drinks must have at least 50% (milk/yoghurt/soya etc) by volume and be no more than 5% added sugars/honey. They may contain vitamins and minerals

• Combinations of water and fruit/vegetable juice must contain at least 50% juice, and no added sugar and may contain vitamins or minerals.

• Tea, Coffee

• Hot chocolate (no more than 20kcal per 100ml)

List of permitted drinks

See guidance booklet:

•Page 30 (School lunches)

•Page 24 (Food other than lunch)

…to see list of allowed preservatives, antioxidants, fortificants etc..

Milk and Dairy food

No change in standard for school lunch (Dairy food must be available at lunch daily.. Includes milk, cheese, yoghurt (fresh and frozen), fromage frais and custard. Not butter and cream)

No

No, When the nutrient-based standards are adopted this FBS is no longer required ..but meeting the Calcium requirement will be..

No Confectionary

No change in standard for school lunch

Yes, confectionary should not be provided at any time of the school day where food is made available

Yes, this will still be in place.

No Confectionary

Includes:

•Chocolate and chocolate-coated products, chocolate ices/ice-cream

•Sweets (mints, boiled, chewing gum, toffee etc even if sugar-free)

•Cereal bars: (chewy or crunchy bars, processed fruit bars, sugared, dried, yoghurt or chocolate-coated fruit)

Excludes:

Cocoa powder used in chocolate cakes, combination drinks made with milk, yoghurt and dairy equivalents, or low calorie hot drinking chocolate).

Salt and Condiments - restrictedNo salt shall be available to add to food after cooking

*Condiments may only be provided in sachets OR in portions of no more than 10 grams (1 teaspoonful)*

YES

YES

NEW!

Snacks - RestrictedNo snacks may be provided except nuts, seeds , fruit or vegetables with no added salt, sugar or fat.

*Savoury crackers or breadsticks can only be served with fruit or vegetables or dairy food as part of school lunch*

Yes, snacks will be restricted to those listed only

Yes, this standard will still be required

NEW!

Deep-Fried Food - Restricted

No change in standard for school lunch (no more than two portions per week, including those that are flash fried in manufacturing process)

Yes, only two deep fried items can be served in a single week across the school day

Yes, this standard will still be in place

NEW!

Meat Products – Categorised and RestrictedMeat products (manufactured and homemade)

are now categorised into four groups and may be provided no more than once per fortnight if they:

Meet the legal minimum content in the Meat Products Regulations 2003

Are not economy burgers

Contain none of the prohibited list of offal

Group 1: Burger, hamburger, chopped meat, corned meat

Group 2: Sausage, sausage meat, link, chipolata, luncheon meat

Group 3: Individual meat pie, meat pudding, melton mowbray pie, game pie, scottish/scotch pie, pasty, pastie, bridie sausage rolls

Group 4: Any other shaped or coated meat product

Meat Products – Categorised and Restricted

Yes, only one of the meat products from each of the four groups listed may be provided no more than once per fortnight across the school day

Yes, this standard will still be in place

The new standards for foods other than school lunch covers: Breakfast

Mid-morning break services

Vending

Tuck shops

After school snacks and meals

(Up to 6pm)

Why are the Food-based standards now across the whole day?Promoting consistency in the message to pupils

Supporting the work of the catering team

Delay to ease roll out

Exemptions Parties or celebrations to mark religious/cultural

events

Fundraising events

Rewards for achievement (although recommended to use non-food items or healthy food)

Food used in teaching food prep and cookery skills

Food bought in on an occasional basis by parents or pupils

• Fruit and vegetables much be available at all school food outlets

• Healthier drinks (info as before)

• No confectionary

• Snacks – restricted

• No cakes and biscuits (only at lunchtimes)

Standards for:

• Starchy foods cooked in oil (3/week)

• Deep fried products (2/week)

• Meat products (1 of each category/2 weeks)

..apply across food in the whole school day

Overview of the standards

Cakes and biscuits Can only be provided at lunchtimes

Includes: manufactured bought in products and homemade tray bakes made in the kitchen.

Bread type products: e.g. bagels, currant and fruit bread, crumpets, teacakes, English muffins (usually lower in fat and sugar) are permitted across the school day/lunchtimes.

Scones: a minefield.. Do not include for now!

Examples of other permitted foods for breaktimes:

Baguettes, pitta bread and wraps, pizza slice, omelette, paninis, toasted sandwiches, quiche, soup..

What about ice-cream?

Ice cream and ice lollipops are permitted under the food-based standards, with the exception of those containing chocolate or other confectionery.

The SFT suggest choosing real dairy ice cream, which contains calcium, or even frozen yoghurt as a healthier alternative.

Ice cream cones count as biscuits so these can only be served at lunchtimes.

The food-based standards do not specify maximum sugar or fat content. However, the nutrient-based standards (2008/9) will restrict the amount and frequency that these items can be served at lunchtimes.

What can I serve?

See lists of foods that can be served, are restricted and prohibited in the guidance booklet