Educators express healthy scepticism over school food standards
Vague wording in the new nutritional standards for school food could allow manufacturers to pass off unhealthy food as healthy, warned the director of the Health Education Trust.
Speaking at an education day organised by foodservice provider Brakes, Joe Harvey claimed the wording of certain clauses within the food-based standards for school lunches and for food other than lunches could create a loophole for less-scrupulous manufacturers.
He was particularly concerned about the School Food Standards' guidelines for food other than lunches, which state that, other than free drinking water, the only drinks available to children should be: water (still or sparkling); milk (skimmed or semi-skimmed); pure fruit juices; yoghurt and milk drinks (with less than 5% added sugar); or drinks made from a combination of these.
“Effectively, this means a manufacturer could take 1% of milk, mix it with the other things and call it a low-calorie drink,” said Harvey. “They could also do things like use fructose and pretend it's concentrated fruit juice, when we all know it's actually added sugar.”
He added: “It shouldn't be about seeing how much they can get away with but I fear [manufacturers] might make things that aren't as healthy as they claim to be. I'm sure there will be a few who will try to scam it. We need a clear interpretation of what is expected and this needs to be explained to the schools too.”
Overall, implementing the food-based standards should not be a problem for manufacturers, said Brakes' head of health and nutrition Eileen Steinbock, but problems might arise around producing coated products that are not fried. “Fried products, which will include flash-fried products, won't be allowed more than twice a week. However something like fish, which is delicate, needs to be coated to protect it,” she said.
Indeed, greater clarity on terminology and more-specific, robust guidelines - typically on the serving of deep-fried foods, the 'occasional' serving of processed meats and the free availability of bread - were all concerns raised during Brakes' education day. One local authority catering manager said: “Menu guidelines have come in with little time for us to make the changes required to meet the new food standards and some of them are still not that clear.”
The School Food Standards were published on May 19 and must be applied by September 2006. Further guidance on their implementation has yet to be given.
