What every parent knew - school meals healthier than the chippie

Published on Wednesday 30 June 2010 15:44

CHILDREN who eat school meals are healthier than those who buy lunch out, regardless of what else they eat during the day, a new study has found.

The study of pupils' eating habits by a nutritionist at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh found those who leave school to buy junk food do not make up the nutritional levels necessary, regardless of what they eat for the rest of the day.

The study emerged after the latest Scottish figures showed only about a half of Scottish pupils, 46.1 per cent, take school meals.

The statistics also showed the percentage taking school meals at secondary rose marginally last year, but was down from 51.2 per cent in 2003 to 39 per cent.

However, uptake in primary is at a ten-year high with just over half choosing school meals.

It follows new legislation which bans unhealthy food, such as sweets and fizzy drinks, from school canteens.

Nutritionist Carina Norris revealed this week that children who ate a nutritious midday meal had better nutrition over the whole day.

In contrast, pupils who leave school to buy their own food eat so poorly at lunchtime that the food they eat at other times fails to make up for this.

Since tougher nutritional standards were introduced for school meals, limiting or banning popular choices such as fried chips, fizzy drinks and chocolate, children have been voting with their feet and take-up of school meals has fallen in many areas.

Ms Norris said: "Sad to say, making school meals healthier can drive children into the arms of the chip vans and fast-food outlets.

Case study: 'I like fruit more than veg, but I also enjoy the occasional treat'

APPLE juice is the favourite drink of eight-year-old Rosa Smith from Edinburgh rather than sugary cola.

For her eating healthily has become second nature but her preference of a sandwich over hot canteen meals backs up the findings of new research.

The primary three pupil takes school meals regularly but prefers to take a packed lunch.

She said: "I like being able to choose what I have. I usually have a roll with something in it, apple juice and a wee chocolate treat."

Pizza and turkey are her favourite school meals but she doesn't like it when they serve salmon.

She knows it's important to eat healthy meals but enjoys the occasional treat, which are banned under new rules.

"I like fruit more than vegetables," she says because

''I like tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and bananas. I do eat biscuits and chocolate sometimes but not all the time." We need to find ways of giving the children the kind of food they want - but without sacrificing good nutrition."

She said pupils in the study of more than 300 youngsters in Fife opted for paninis, toasties and sandwiches over traditional meat-and-two-veg meals or curries.

She suggested cafe-style canteens with foods that were quick and easy to eat might draw them back into school catering and away from the chippie.

However, she admitted: "Unfortunately it won't be easy without some form of ‘lock-ins', as many of the children who opted to buy a school lunch then walked out of the school gates to top up their intake with sweets, cakes, chips and fizzy drinks."

The research also found that although children who ate school meals had better diets than others, including those with a packed lunch, overall the diets of the schoolchildren studied were nutritionally poor.

The lacked many essential nutrients with intakes of fibre, iron, and fruit and vegetables, both at lunchtime and over the whole day, being particularly poor.

But parents said it was crucial older children were not forced to stay in the school gates.

Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC), said: "Part of the process of growing up is learning to make choices, about lots of things - food being just one of them.

"Humans learn very largely by experience and children learn about balancing their diet in the same way. SPTC advocates a school-meal policy which encourages positive choices without barring any food and which offers a range of options to tempt the palate of a very conservative group of consumers."

Adam Ingram, children's minister, yesterday revealed he had written to schools, education directors and catering firms to urge them to overhaul meals suggesting they offer hot paninis and "deli-style" baguettes.

However, campaigners said the only way significantly to improve the uptake would be to provide free meals to all children.