London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Food agency to check school lunches in England meet standards

Food agency to check school lunches in England meet standards

Inspections are part of government plans to tackle obesity in line with its ‘levelling up’ policy
Inspectors from the Food Standards Agency are to check on school lunches in England to make sure they meet national standards, as part of government plans to tackle obesity within its levelling up white paper to be published on Wednesday.

The white paper is also expected to include a new push to teach students about healthy eating and food preparation, with all students expected to leave school knowing how to prepare and cook at least six basic recipes, as well as adopting measures championed by the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The move comes amid fears that schools in some parts of the country are struggling to meet the national school food standards that have been in place since 2015, such as including no more than two portions of deep-fried food in school lunches each week.

There is also evidence that childhood obesity increased markedly during the Covid pandemic, which saw physical education, school sports and other activities for children cancelled or restricted.

“Obesity has got worse because of Covid. This has been especially bad in the most deprived areas. Many of our most deprived children are carrying a lockdown legacy around their waists, which is affecting their life chances,” a Whitehall source said.

“No one has got this wrong deliberately but we need to make it a lot easier for everyone who is involved with feeding our kids.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said he applauded the change in the government’s “snobby attitude” towards children learning skills, but added: “We are wary of the idea of yet another agency carrying out checks on schools on top of all the other agencies that already do so. And if there is an aim to teach every secondary school child how to cook it is difficult to see where this could now be shoehorned into an already over-crowded curriculum.”

A pilot scheme to be announced in the white paper will mean the agency starts inspecting food offered by schools in a small number of local authorities later this year. The aim is to improve ways to help schools comply with the existing standards.

There will also be new funding to train secondary school teachers in cooking and food preparation, with £5m over three years to give training to a teacher from every state secondary and create courses. The government wants every child to leave school knowing how to cook six recipes.

The white paper also adopted a policy promoted by Oliver and Bite Back 2030, the charity the chef co-founded to lobby to improve food for young people. Last month, Oliver and the leaders of 600 state schools called for each school to publish annual food reports showing what progress it had made in meeting standards on health and nutrition.

According to the white paper, the reporting of schools food arrangements will initially be voluntary but the intention is for it become mandatory. School governors are also to be given extra training on their responsibilities to improve food standards.

A recent report by Bite Back highlighted the different lunch choices offered at schools across the country, with pupils on free school meals reporting they were given fewer choices.

But the white paper is not thought to improve funding for children receiving free school meals, which includes all infants up to year two. The government pays £2.34 for each child’s food a day, only slightly more than it did a decade ago despite rising prices.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
×