The Association for the Study of Obesity welcomes today’s announcement of a consultation to update the School Food Standards, a long-overdue opportunity to improve children’s diets and support better health outcomes.
The proposed changes represent a positive step forward, particularly measures aimed at reducing high-sugar foods on school menus and improving the overall nutritional quality of food provided in schools.
Schools are a vital setting for supporting children’s health and helping to establish lifelong dietary habits. However, successful delivery of any new standards will depend on adequate funding, practical support for schools and caterers, and consistent enforcement to ensure the standards are implemented effectively and equitably.
While strengthening School Food Standards is important, improving children’s health will also require action across the wider food environment, including the availability, affordability and marketing of less healthy foods beyond the school gates.
ASO encourages members, researchers, health professionals, schools, families and wider stakeholders to engage with the consultation and help ensure the final standards are evidence-based, equitable and deliverable.
The Government announcement and consultation details are available here: Government scraps high-sugar food from school menus.
