What’s changed and what parents need to know
If you’ve seen the headlines this week about the government “scrapping high-sugar food from school menus,” you might be feeling a mix of “great, finally!” and “but will my child actually eat anything now?”
You’re certainly not alone in feeling either – or both.
In April 2026, the government announced consultation plans to update the School Food Standards for the first time in over a decade. The aim is to provide healthier, more balanced and more consistent meals across all schools. The proposed changes indicate a really positive step towards more robust guidelines in line with healthy eating practices, but naturally there are a number of concerns about the impact of these changes. Parents of selective eaters are concerned over whether their children will still have familiar, accepted foods available, and there are concerns over the monitoring of the guidelines, as well as whether they are realistic within the funding available.
So what’s actually going on, and what does it mean for your child? In this blog, we aim to cover the key changes, the concerns and some practical tips for parents who want to get involved.
Note: These proposals are currently out for a nine-week consultation. They are not yet law. Full enforcement is expected from September 2027, with a phased approach for secondary schools. Things may still change, and the government has said it wants to hear from parents, schools and caterers before finalising.
You can access the full consultation here and respond to this online survey.
What’s being proposed? The key changes explained
The updated School Food Standards are a much needed update – there hasn’t been any change in over a decade, so this is really welcome news. This isn’t just about “scrapping sugary puddings” – it’s a detailed overhaul covering fibre, sugar, fat, salt, drinks, snacks, breakfast, and even condiments. Below we’ve broken down what the consultation actually says.
More fibre, more veg, more wholegrains
One of the biggest changes is a real push to increase fibre into school meals, something that data consistently shows UK children aren’t getting enough of.
What this means in practice:
- Vegetables or salad with every main meal option, every day, including grab-and-go options. So vegetables won’t only be offered on certain days, and skipped entirely on others.
- All desserts must be accompanied by or contain fruit. So even when a baked pudding is on offer, fruit comes with it.
- A fruit-only dessert day at least once a week in primary schools.
- Higher-fibre breads become the standard, and at least 50% of rice and pasta must be wholewheat or brown varieties. This is a significant jump from the old guidance, which only required one wholegrain option per week.
- Pulses must feature on the menu at least once a week, either as part of or alongside a main meal option. And this specifically means pulses like lentils, chickpeas or butter beans, not just baked beans.
From a nutrition perspective, this is genuinely great news. We know that fibre supports gut health, helps children feel fuller for longer, and most UK children are eating well below recommended amounts. Wholegrains and pulses are also brilliant sources of iron and B vitamins, nutrients many children fall short on too.
Reduced sugar
The sugar changes are quite detailed, and arguably what may be most noticeable for children day-to-day.
What this means in practice:
- Sweetened baked products and desserts will be offered less frequently. They won’t be totally banned, but they will no longer be a daily default. For secondary schools, this will be phased in over time.
- Fruit juice and combination drinks are being removed entirely from school meals services.
- Permitted drinks will be:
- Primary schools: plain water, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, lactose-free milk, and some calcium-enriched plant-based drinks. That’s it.
- Secondary schools: all of the above, plus sugar-free flavoured still water, fruit-flavoured no-added-sugar still drinks, and tea/coffee with no syrups or extras. These will be phased in. Sweeteners can be used in drinks for secondary schools, but not in food.
- Sugar, honey and syrups cannot be added to food or drinks during or after preparation. So no drizzling honey over porridge at breakfast club, and no adding sugar to sauces in the kitchen.
- Sugar limits will be set for yoghurts and plant-based yoghurts – all dairy yoghurts must contain less than 10g/100g of sugar, and plant-based versions less than 7g/100g.
- Non-sugar sweeteners will also be restricted. This is in line with growing SACN guidance that sweeteners aren’t recommended for young children, so schools won’t simply be swapping sugar for artificial alternatives.
Why this matters for parents: UK children consume far more free sugar than recommended, and school meals are one of the few environments where we can directly improve that pattern at scale. Removing juice from school meals is a particularly important move. Where possible, whole fruit is generally a better option than juice, and water or milk are all children need to drink during the school day. The restriction on adding sugar, honey and syrups during cooking is also really important, as it impacts the actual baseline flavour profile of meals rather than just removing the obvious “sweet” items.
Tighter limits on fat, salt and processed foods
Beyond sugar, the proposals set clearer boundaries on how often certain higher-fat and higher-salt foods can appear:
- Deep-fried foods will no longer be permitted at all. Under the previous standards, these were allowed up to twice a week. Now they’re off the menu entirely – that includes deep-fried chips, nuggets and battered fish. These foods CAN still be offered, but the cooking method must not be deep-friend.
- Processed meat will be limited in frequency, so daily ham sandwiches or sausage rolls won’t be standard.
- Batter-coated items (like fish in batter) will be restricted in how often they can be offered.
- Cheese as a main ingredient will be restricted – not every day. So cheese pizza, cheese jacket potato, or a cheese sandwich won’t be available as a main option on a daily basis. (This will be phased in for secondary schools.)
- Condiments and spreads will face limits on sugar and salt content – so high-sugar ketchup or very salty sauces will be reviewed.
- Snacks are tightened significantly: only fruit, vegetables, savoury crackers and breadsticks will be permitted.
When it comes to deep-fried and battered/breadcrumbed items, across the whole week, schools will only be allowed to serve up to two items in total from the following “less everyday” categories. And each category can only appear once per week (including when meat and veggie versions are served side-by-side, that still counts as one).
The categories are:
- Battered or breadcrumb-coated foods (e.g. coated fish or chicken)
- Pastry-based items (sweet or savoury, e.g. sausage rolls, pastries)
- Processed meat and meat/poultry products (whether homemade or manufactured)
The cheese restriction might surprise some people – cheese is nutritious and many children love it. But when cheese becomes the default protein at every meal (cheese sandwich, cheese pizza, cheese pasta, cheese jacket potato…), children miss out on the variety of proteins they need, and the saturated fat and salt can add up. This isn’t to say that cheese is a “bad” option, it’s about making sure cheese is one option among many, not the easy fallback every single day.
This isn’t about banning or taking away foods – it’s simply about increasing the variety on offer and also encouraging healthier cooking practices – e.g. oven baked chicken nuggets or fish fingers instead of deep fried.
Separate standards for breakfast clubs
For the first time, there will be a separate, dedicated set of standards for breakfast service, before the start of the school day.
Previously, food served outside of lunch (including breakfast clubs) was subject to much less stringent rules. This meant that while lunch might be carefully balanced, breakfast may be less so, and sugary options are often on offer at breakfast clubs.
Under the new proposals, breakfast clubs, including the 300,000+ free breakfast club places now available, will need to meet defined standards. Combined with the removal of juice, the restriction on adding sugar/honey/syrups to food, and the push for higher-fibre options, this should mean a meaningfully healthier start to the day for children who attend.
What can be served in breakfast clubs:
- Lower-sugar cereals and porridge: breakfast cereals must be under 5g/100g total sugar, plus no-added-sugar muesli and plain, unflavoured porridge.
- Higher-fibre breads and bakery items: all bread should be a source of fibre (at least 3g/100g fibre), such as wholemeal, seeded, or higher-fibre white breads. Items like fruited bread buns and crumpets are included.
- Fruit or veg must be available at breakfast (fresh, dried, frozen/defrosted, cooked, or canned in juice, not syrup).
- Milk and dairy alternatives: plain semi-skimmed/skimmed milk or lactose-free milk, plus unsweetened soya/oat drinks that are fortified (calcium, iodine, vitamin D, riboflavin, B12).
- Yoghurts have sugar limits and can’t contain non-sugar sweeteners
- Protein options include: eggs (not fried), baked beans and pulses.
- Limits are suggested on spreads – individual sachets of fruit/savoury spreads, reduced sugar/salt options and without sweeteners.
What’s being removed:
- Fried bread, pastries/croissants, and fried potato products
- Processed meats
- Chocolate spread, honey and syrups
Changes to protein options and meat alternatives
The proposals also rethink how schools meet their protein requirements:
- Pulses will now count as a protein source alongside meat and poultry – meaning schools can use lentils, chickpeas, beans etc. to meet the “protein on three or more days a week” requirement. This is a welcome expansion that supports more plant-based variety.
- Schools would be required to include a portion of pulses at least once a week within or alongside all menu options (including grab-and-go). The consultation suggests this could look like adding lentils/beans into dishes (e.g. into spaghetti Bolognese).
- Vegetarian options must use pulses regularly: vegetarian meals would need to use pulses as the main protein on at least three days a week.
- However, vegetarian or plant-based products marketed as meat alternatives (e.g., branded “chicken-style” pieces, plant-based sausages) will be restricted in frequency. The intention seems to be encouraging whole-food plant proteins rather than relying on processed meat substitutes.
This is a really positive shift. Pulses are affordable, nutritious, high in fibre and iron, and far less processed than many meat alternative products. If your child is vegetarian or your family is trying to eat more plant-based meals, this is good news, and it offers an opportunity for your child to be introduced to meals containing pulses in a different environment.
Other important changes
A few more things worth noting:
- Meal deals will have defined requirements for what can be included, so a “meal deal” can’t just be a muffin, a juice and a packet of crisps.
- New standards for offering dairy-alternative drinks. In addition to semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, plain, unsweetened soya or oat milk can be offered as well. These should be fortified with calcium, iodine, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12. This is a really important requirement and great to see additional fortification beyond simply calcium being highlighted.
- Nursery standards are being addressed as well. New standards will apply to the entire school, making it easier for nurseries within primary schools to have only one set of standards to follow.
- Free access to drinking water is being highlighted as a core requirement: all schools must provide pupils with access to free, fresh drinking water at all times.
- Secondary schools get a phased approach on several changes – including cheese as a main protein option, how often pulses must appear, restrictions on sweetened baked goods and desserts, and the permitted drinks list. This recognises that secondary school catering is often more complex (canteen-style, multiple providers, grab-and-go options) and needs more time to adapt.
Concerns over the new changes
There are, of course, genuine concerns around what these changes will mean in practice. A key concern for many parents is: will children actually eat the lunch?
There have been some headlines addressing a pilot study at a primary school in Brighton, which suggested that a switch to adhere to the new food standards saw a drop in the uptake of school meals. Some children reportedly didn’t like losing familiar options like ham and cheese sandwiches and cheese jacket potatoes. Many switched to packed lunches, and these often contained crisps or a chocolate bar, according to the caterer involved. Notably, catering costs also rose by 20p per meal, due to more expensive ingredients.
These are really key considerations, and it’s important to hear from teachers, parents, caterers and anyone else involved in the day-to-day running of school lunches to make sure these new standards work for everyone.
Below, we’ve shared some tips for parents who might be concerned about whether their child will eat the meals at school. The most important piece of advice we’d give for anyone worried at this stage, is to give it time. It takes time for everyone to adapt to change – for us as parents as well as our children. If they struggle at the beginning, it doesn’t mean they won’t ever get there.
The funding gap
There’s another important concern around these new standards – the money. The government currently allocates £2.61 per free school meal in England (rising to £2.66 in September). This is significantly lower than Wales (£3.40), Scotland (£3.30) and Northern Ireland (£3.10).
School food caterers are flagging that the gap between funding and the cost of producing healthier, from-scratch meals is already unsustainable. As one London caterer, Philippa Terry, put it: “The £2.61 doesn’t come anywhere close to what the cost is.” Reports suggest six more catering companies may close by July. This is such a shame and for such a HUGE update/roll out to the new standards I really feel this needs to also be addressed.
The monitoring question
A big question that has been a problem with the current school food standards is around actually monitoring how the changes are being implemented. Currently there is no robust monitoring system. The new standards reference a “full enforcement system” which is due to be implemented from September 2027. Full details of this are still to be clarified, and this will be really important, to ensure that the standards are actually adhered to. Some campaigners have warned that without proper monitoring, the changes won’t actually make any difference. Existing standards have been largely ignored in many settings, so an independent body to carry out compliance checks may be necessary to ensure the standards are being correctly followed.
The consultation acknowledges that the new standards will only work if there’s clear, consistent monitoring. To strengthen accountability, two main proposals are suggested:
- A named lead governor for school food: governors/trustees already have responsibility for ensuring the School Food Standards are met, and the proposal is to appoint a designated lead governor to improve leadership and oversight.
- Greater transparency for parents: schools would be required to publish their whole-school food policy and menus on their website, so parents and carers can clearly see what’s being served and how the school approaches healthy eating.
The consultation also suggests that a whole-school food policy should cover not just catering, but the wider food culture, including food education (like practical cooking), how catering fits into the school community, and plans to improve school lunch uptake.
These are positive, and really important suggestions. For parents of selective eaters, or children with PFD or ARFID, having greater transparency about what’s on offer is key. It allows parents to communicate clearly with their children, as well as with the schools, about what food is on offer and choose options that they are more likely to be able to eat.
The lunchtime environment
Another important consideration to bear in mind when it comes to the school meals, is the dining hall environment. School halls can be a loud, busy and overstimulating environment, and lunchtimes are often rushed. We know the importance of the mealtime environment for helping children to enjoy meals, and feel more comfortable trying a wider variety of foods. School lunchtimes are often not particularly conducive to kids trying new foods, particularly for children with sensory differences, and especially for those children with PFD or ARFID. Of course it’s not realistic to expect a “perfect” environment, but where possible, it would be great to see the environment considered, and adaptations made to try to ensure that children have enough time to eat in a calm and comfortable setting.
We spoke to Specialist Paediatric Dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood, who regularly works with children with ARFID and who has followed these guidelines closely. Her thoughts were:
“This is generally a positive step for school meals. Remember no child should be disadvantaged due to a medical condition. Please liaise with your dietitian and other healthcare professionals to help support your requests. Remember, environment is also important and providing a quieter area to eat can be helpful. Some adaptation might include requesting an item that is available on one day being offered as an alternative on other days.”
For more support around feeding a neurodivergent child, this factsheet offers realistic and practical support.
What parents can do right now
You don’t need to wait until September 2027. Here are practical things you can do today:
1. Communicate with your school
The most important thing you can do, if you have concerns about the food on offer at your child’s school or you’re just genuinely interested, is to communicate with the school directly. Most schools are willing to help or accommodate wherever they can, but they can’t know your concerns if you don’t speak to them.
Here are some questions you can ask:
- “Are you aware of the proposed new school food standards? How are you planning to respond?”
- “Can I see the current school menu and food policy?”
- “Does my child have enough time to eat at lunch?”
2. Have a look at the menu together
Under the new proposals, schools will be required to share menus openly with parents. Sit with your child and look through it. Help them spot things they recognise and might enjoy. If they’re nervous about changes, try recreating a school-style meal at home first.
3. Respond to the consultation
The government has said it wants to hear from parents. This is a nine-week consultation, so your voice genuinely matters. If something concerns you (funding, pace of change, your child’s specific needs), say so.
You can access the full consultation here and respond to the online survey, here.
4. If your child is a cautious eater, plan ahead
Change can feel big for children who rely on familiar options. Try:
- Making the most out of other eating opportunities – e.g. a filling breakfast before school and a familiar, easy dinner when they get home. Remember that balance doesn’t come from one meal only, but across the day and week.
- Look at the menu offered at their school with them, and decide together which meals they want to have.
- Try offering some of the meals they’re going to have at school at home as well, to allow them the chance to become familiar with them in a calm, familiar environment.
- Keep a packed lunch as a backup plan while they adjust, if the school allows it
A note on packed lunches
If your child takes packed lunch, whether that’s by choice or because school meals don’t work for them, the Brighton pilot is a useful reminder that packed lunches need attention too. There are currently no standards governing what goes in a lunchbox.
A simple formula for creating a packed lunch is:
- Starchy base: sandwich, wrap, pitta, pasta, or rice
- Protein: chicken, tuna, egg, cheese, hummus, or beans
- Veg/fruit: cucumber sticks, peppers, cherry tomatoes, berries, banana
- Dairy or alternative: yoghurt, cheese, fortified option
- Water as the main drink
For plenty more ideas and inspiration for creating a balanced, filling packed lunch, including details of the 2026 NHS lunchbox guidelines, check out this blog.
In summary
On the whole, these are really positive changes and we’re really pleased to see action being taken to improve school food standards for our children. Of course there are still things that need to be considered, and we’ve all got a chance to have our say. There are also plenty of organisations doing incredible work to support the changes we’re supporting. If you want to find out more and see how you can support the work they do, check out their work below: