Welsh Assembly Government
Appetite for Life Guidelines
Draft Nov‘08
Appetite for Life Guidelines
The Appetite for Life Action Plan recognises that children matter for the future of
Wales and that their needs are central to the Welsh Assembly Government’s
vision of a healthy, prosperous and sustainable country.
A balanced diet and an active lifestyle are essential for our children and young
people as they develop and grow into healthy adults.
This guide aims to assist in implementing the Action Plan, by providing the key
information on food and nutritional standards and outlining the practical steps
required to implement these standards.
November 2008
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Welsh Assembly Government
Appetite for Life Guidelines
Draft Nov‘08
Contents
Introduction and Background
Aims
Action Research Project
1.1
1.2
1
Starting Out
National Policies
2.2
2
Whole School Approach to Implementing Food and Nutrition Standards 3
Healthy School Context
3.1
Key Elements
3.2
Nutrient and Food Standards For School Lunches
The new recommended standards for school lunches
What are the recommended nutrient standards?
Standards for Food provided at Lunchtime
Guidelines on recommended food standards
Food & Drink Available Throughout the Whole School Day
Standards for Food Available throughout the Whole School Day
Guidelines on recommended food standards across the whole school day
Implementing the Food Standards Across the Whole School Day
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.5
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
Guidelines on Statutory Food Standards Outside of Appetite for Life
6
What are The Recommended Drinks Standards
7
Recommended Drinks Standards for Schools Across the Whole School Day 7.1
Guidelines on Recommended Drinks Standards
7.2
Implementing the Recommended Food and Drink Standards
Implementing the Standards – Step by Step guidance
8.1
School Catering
Key Role
Training
Resources
9
9.1
9.2
9.3
Sustainability, Procurement and Financial Management
8
10
Marketing and Communications
National Strategy
Marketing at School Level
11
11.1
11.2
Monitoring, Research and Evaluation
Using the Evidence
12
12.1
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Appetite for Life Guidelines
Self-evaluation and ESTYN Inspections
Draft Nov‘08
12.2
Appendices
13
Appendix 1 Checklist for Head Teachers and Senior Management Teams 13.1
Appendix 2 Base line Health Statistics and Other Factors
13.2
References and Resources
14
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Appetite for Life Guidelines
Draft Nov‘08
Introduction and Background
1
Aims
1.1
These guidelines have been drawn up to assist in the implementation of the
Welsh Assembly Government’s ‘Appetite for Life Action Plan’1 which sets out the
strategic direction and actions required to improve nutritional standards of food
and drink provided in schools in Wales.
The guidelines aim to provide practical advice and support on how to implement
the changes to the provision of food and drink and to ensure a consistent and
coherent approach to implementing Action 2 of the Welsh Assembly
Government’s 5-year ‘Food and Fitness Implementation Plan 2 that is, “Improve
the food and drink consumed throughout the school day.”
Regional workshops were held throughout Wales following the publication of the
Action Plan in February 2008; the guidelines have been informed by responses
from these workshops and lessons learnt from other parts of the UK; we
gratefully acknowledge the permission granted by the School Food Trust and the
Scottish Government to use extracts from their published documents in the
preparation of these guidelines. The structure of these guidelines is based
around the 7 focus areas of Appetite for Life Action Plan and links closely to
‘Food and Fitness in the Curriculum in Wales’3.
Action Research Project
1.2
A two-year action research project, involving four local authorities (Torfaen and
Wrexham – secondaries only; Merthyr Tydfil and Ceredigion – all schools), will
commence in September 2008. This will focus on the development and testing of
these guidelines for introducing the proposed food and nutritional standards. The
approach taken will be a dynamic, cyclical process of review, planning and
monitoring.
The four regional groups established by the Appetite for Life Co-ordinator will be
used to disseminate the learning as it arises; stakeholder workshops will also
take place throughout the lifetime of the project to facilitate learning and sharing
of information beyond those authorities with schools involved in the project.
Healthy School Co-ordinators will have a key role to play in supporting schools in
utilising the information.
The specific objectives of the research are to use action research methods to
explore the issues raised in helping primary schools, secondary schools and
local authorities move towards the standards proposed in the Action Plan. Some
1
Appetite for Life Action Plan
Food and Fitness Implementation Plan 2006
3
Food and Fitness in the Curriculum in Wales March 2008
2
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Appetite for Life Guidelines
Draft Nov‘08
case studies are included in 'In Perspective Food and Fitness'4 and in ‘Food and
Fitness in the Curriculum in Wales’; others will be developed as part of the Action
Research Project and be made available to all stakeholders throughout Wales.
4
http://new.wales.gov.uk/dphhp/publication/improvement/children/publications/pespective/perspectivee.pdf?lang=en
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Appetite for Life Guidelines
Starting Out
Draft Nov‘08
2
National Policies
2.1
Levels of childhood obesity and its impact on health and well-being is a concern
for everyone, especially in relation to reducing health inequalities. Poor diet is a
major contributing factor and the implementation of these guidelines is part of the
pro-active role taken by the Welsh Assembly Government to tackle the issues
which are linked to it; other aspects are also being addressed by the UK and EU
governments.
The Appetite for Life Action Plan complements the earlier joint ‘Food and Well
Being’5 nutrition strategy from the Food Standards Agency Wales (FSA) and the
Welsh Assembly Government, and the Welsh Assembly Government’s 5-year
‘Food and Fitness Implementation Plan’6.
A series of other initiatives to address food and fitness have been taken forward
in recent years and are backed up by a number of Welsh Assembly Government
policy documents. For further information to back up these guidelines and to
assist in the implementation of the Appetite for Life Action Plan, reference should
be made to the following documents:







‘Food and Fitness – Promoting Healthy eating and Physical Activity for
Children and Young People in Wales’. 5-year Implementation Plan 2006
‘Appetite for Life 2006
‘Appetite for Life Action Plan’ 2007
In Perspective: Food and Fitness’ 2006
Developing a Whole School Food and Fitness Policy 2007
Climbing Higher (2005) and Climbing Higher – next steps (2006)
Food and Fitness in the School Curriculum in Wales 2008
A series of other publications supporting the policies e.g. relating to healthier
lunchboxes and healthy vending machines, are listed in the Reference Section of
these guidelines.
5
6
http://food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdf/foodandwellbeing.pdf
http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/health/improvement/food/action/?lang=en
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Whole School Approach to Implementing Food & Nutrition
Standards
3
Healthy School Context
3.1
Health improvement work in schools in Wales is taken forward via local healthy
school schemes, working as part of the Welsh Network of Healthy School
schemes. Such work incorporates a whole school approach, which encourages
participation from all school staff, pupils and the wider community. It takes
account of curriculum, ethos and environment, and demonstrates good
leadership and communication.
Work on aspects of food provision should be taken forward as part of a whole
school approach, in partnership with local healthy school staff. Many schools will
already be developing whole school food and fitness policies linked to Welsh
Assembly Government guidance.
Key Elements
3.2
Leadership and Management
Clear leadership from authorities is needed to ensure health improvement is a
key permeating aspect of their support to schools.
It is important that they encourage a consistent approach across the authority by:
 Fostering genuine and participative communication and a culture of
listening across the whole school community
 Providing clear and concise guidance on school lunch menu
development and dealing with special dietary needs
 Ensuring healthy food and drinks are served not only in schools but
also in sport and leisure and community centres
 Providing training opportunities and, along with Head Teachers,
encourage and support staff and volunteers to take up relevant
training e.g. Cymru Cooks - training offered by Continyou Cymru, on a
rolling basis with all Local Authorities targeted by April 2009. As a
result of the training local areas are expected to put a strategy in place
to develop cookery clubs - either in school, but out of school hours, or
in community settings, targetting children and young people and their
parents
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Head Teachers have a responsibility to take the lead in ensuring all sections of
the school community participate in the development of policies and practices.
Key actions include:
 Establishing a Healthy Schools Task Group, Food and Fitness Working
Group (FAFWG) or School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG)
 Providing opportunities for direct discussions between senior school staff
and the senior member of the school’s catering staff
 Ensuring senior school staff, governors, senior catering staff, teachers,
support/supervisory staff, pupils and parents are all represented on
SNAG/FAFWG or other group
 Identify the key lead individual for health improvement within the school
and communicate to all stakeholders.
 Establishing clear means of communication with the whole school
community
 Ensuring parents are kept fully informed of all policy developments
relating to food provision e.g. packed lunch recommendations, vending
machines and lunch menus
n.b. A full ‘Checklist for Head Teachers and Senior Management Teams’ is
included as an appendix to these guidelines. (Appendix 1)
Policy Development and Partnership Working

Policies and plans for change should evolve through consultation and
open communication involving all sections of the school community
 All stakeholders should be involved in the development of the school’s
food policy and their views sought prior to any changes in food provision
 Parents should be kept fully informed at all stages of development and
provided appropriately prior to introducing any changes
The SNAG/FAFWG or Healthy Schools Task group or equivalent should be
involved in:





The development of the school’s Food and Fitness /Whole School Health
policies
Discussions on all aspects of food provision including Breakfast Clubs,
lunch menus, snacks, vending machines, drinking water availability
Introducing changes/improvements to school dining rooms
Introducing changes to the duration of lunchtime, rotas or queuing
arrangements
Discussing supervision arrangements and promoting positive behaviour
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Curriculum Planning, Learning and Teaching
The revised school curriculum in Wales provides an opportunity to strengthen the
place of food education and the development of practical skills in the curriculum.
Reference should be made to the guidance document, Food and Fitness in the
Curriculum in Wales7 (to be issued to schools in December 2008) which answers
the key questions:
 Why is work on food and fitness an important part of the curriculum?
 Where is work on food and fitness in the curriculum?
 What accreditation and qualifications and opportunities for employment
relating to food and fitness are available?
 Where are we now on food and fitness?
 How is work on food and fitness in settings/schools inspected?
Promoting health across the curriculum will help support children and young
people to be effective learners and will assist them to make informed food
choices.
Strategies to achieve this include:






Incorporating aspects of food, nutrition and dental health in the curriculum
at all stages, particularly within Design & Technology, PSE, Physical
Education , science subjects and social studies e.g. introduction of
cooking skills, with an emphasis on healthy food, into the school
curriculum for key stages 2 and 3 from September 2008
Ensuring full use is made of the new support materials being developed to
accompany the revised curriculum
Allowing flexibility to teams and individual teachers to make innovative
provision which addresses school circumstances and meets pupils’
changing needs
Using outside partner agency programmes to enrich the healthy eating
component of courses
Building in provision which reflects the cultural, ethnic and religious
influences within the home, school and community, and is sensitive to the
diverse backgrounds and needs of all children and young people
Encouraging pupil participation in learning about health and well-being
through activities which motivate them and draw on their curiosity,
creativity and critical thinking e.g. designing presentations for peer
education, role play, small group discussions and theatre group
presentations
7 http://accac.org.uk/uploads/documents/106.pdf
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Being aware of lifestyles and the different levels of physical, social and
emotional development, and taking these into account when encouraging
behavioural change
Opportunities should also be taken to participate in national initiatives where
available, such as:




The Cooking Bus – available to primary schools in Communities First
areas, which are already part of local healthy school schemes and
undertaking food and fitness actions. The Bus provides practical cooking
sessions for pupils, plus a teacher training session and a session for
parents of young children at each venue
Urdd cooking competition - Urdd Gobaith Cymru run cooking competitions
for 4 age groups of young people with the finals held on the Cooking Bus
at the Urdd Eisteddfod
GET Cooking - a National Federation of Women’s Institute initiative,
previously funded by Food Standards Agency, aimed at young people. It is
now funded via our voluntary sector grant scheme to provide an additional
sessions for parents of young children following the Cooking Bus visits
Dietetic Capacity Grant Scheme – Funding has been provided to NHS
Trusts across Wales to increase dietetic capacity in the community. The
programme utilises dietitian’s expertise to train and develop professionals
and community workers working with children and young people in the
community on food and nutrition skills.
School Culture and Environment
A health promoting school is one which actively promotes, protects and embeds
the physical, mental and social health and well being of its community through
positive action by such means as policy, strategic planning and staff
development with regards to its curriculum, ethos, physical environment and
community relations.
To ensure a consistent healthy eating message, careful consideration should be
given to:
 The type of food provided at social or fund-raising events
 Providing healthier food or non-food items as rewards for achievement
or good behaviour
 Encouraging staff to sit with pupils at lunchtimes to promote good
behaviour and more informal social interaction with pupils
 The physical environment of the school should promote a positive
experience for the pupils, particularly in relation to the dining
experience
 Drinking water should be available at all times
The dining areas should provide a relaxed and social environment during
lunchtime.
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Giving Children and Young People a Voice
Giving children and young people a voice means making it part of everyday
school practice for them to have a meaningful say. This is particularly important
when changes to food provision are being considered. When developing
mechanisms to hear and act on what they are saying, it is important to find out
what they all think and not only those who regularly contribute and are most
vocal. Children and young people should be given opportunities to share
responsibility for decision making.
To achieve these objectives, schools should consider:
 The use of e-mail, suggestion boxes, texting and small focus groups to
collect views as well as more formal methods such as school council,
SNAG/FAFWG group and surveys
 Providing training for those involved in representative groups
 Encouraging children and young people to take the lead in
communicating with parents
 Encouraging debate and decision making as part of curricular activities
 Providing support for those who need it to enable them to express their
views
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Nutrient and Food Standards For School Lunches 4
The new recommended standards for school lunches
4.1
The Appetite for Life Action Plan introduces more stringent nutritional standards
which exceed the current minimum compulsory standards, set out in the
Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches) (Wales) regulations 2001 8.
The new recommended food and drink standards set out within the plan have
been developed to assist schools in achieving these more stringent nutritional
standards. It is an established principle of nutritional guidance that lunch
provision should contribute approximately 30% of an individual’s daily nutrient
requirements however the standards outlined within the action plan and being
tested through the Action Research Project require school lunches to provide a
minimum of 35% of the requirement for each recommended vitamin and mineral
listed in Table 1.
Table 1 outlines the daily nutrient intake which menus should supply for lunches
over a period of 5 school days for groups of mixed gender children in primary and
secondary school.
What are the recommended nutrient standards?
4.2
Nutrient-based standards apply to an average school lunch over five consecutive
school days, and relate to overall provision rather than individual consumption.
Many schools (especially secondary schools) provide a choice of food and drink
at lunchtime, so each pupil consumes a different balance of nutrients. Also,
some pupils need to eat more than others depending on age, body size,
metabolism and physical activity. Therefore, it is an average school lunch over 5
school days rather than every lunch consumed that must meet the nutrient
standards (Table 1).
An average school lunch must provide:
 the amount of energy shown in the table (with 5% tolerance shown in
brackets)
 no more than the maximum amount for fat, saturated fat, Non-milk
extrinsic (NME) sugars and sodium
 at least the minimum amount for carbohydrate, protein, fibre, vitamin A,
vitamin C, folate, calcium, iron and zinc
More information about energy and the individual nutrients, sources of these
nutrients and good practice is given in section 4.7
8
http://wales.gov.uk/dcells/publications/publications/circularsindex/03/schoollunches/nafwc0303e.pdf?lang=en
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Standards For Food Provided at Lunch Time
4.3
Table 1 Recommended nutrient standards for school lunches
Nutrient
Energy
Minimum
or
maximum
(Kcal)
(KJ)
Total fat (g)
Saturated fat (g)
Total carbohydrate (g)
Non-milk extrinsic sugars (g)
Fibre (g)
Protein (g)
Iron (mg)
Zinc (mg)
Calcium (mg)
Vitamin A (μg)
Vitamin C (mg)
Folate (μg)
Sodium (mg)9
Max
Max
Min
Max
Min
Min
Min
Min
Min
Min
Min
Min
Max
Primary
Pupils
Secondary
Pupils
530
646
20.6
6.5
70.6
15.5
4.2
7.5
3.0
2.5
193
175
10.5
53
499
25.1
7.9
86.1
18.9
5.2
13.3
5.2
3.3
350
245
14.0
70
714
The food standards (Table 2) are intended to assist schools in preparing for
the new, more stringent nutrient standards that will be applied to lunches
(see section 4.5 Implementation).
9
To convert sodium to salt, multiply the sodium value by 2.5
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TABLE 2
What are the recommended food standards for school lunches in Wales?
More information about each of the food standards, examples of foods and good
practice is given in section 4.5.
Fruit and
vegetables
Food standards for school lunches
Not less than 2 portions per day per child (at least one must
be vegetables or salad, and at least one must be fruit).
Oily fish
On the school lunch menu at least once every two weeks.
Deep fried
potato
products
Deep fried
products
Potato and potato products cooked in fat/oils in the school
kitchen or during manufacture must not be served more than
twice a week.
Other food items (other than potatoes) cooked in fat oils in the
school kitchen or during manufacture must not be served
more than twice a week.
Should not be reformed/reconstituted.
Manufactured
meat products
Bread (without
spread)
Available throughout lunch. A variety of breads should be
encouraged including wholemeal bread.
Oils &
Spreads
Only oils and spreads high in polyunsaturated and/or
monounsaturated fats can be used
Confectionery
and Savoury
snacks2
Not to be made available
Salt
Not added to vegetables during cooking. Restrict or remove
salt from recipes and replace with appropriate and acceptable
herbs and spices. Not available at lunch tables or at the
service counter.
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Welsh Assembly Government
Appetite for Life Guidelines
Guidelines on recommended food standards
Draft Nov‘08
4.4
Fruit and Vegetables
Not less than 2 portions per day per child (at least one must be vegetables or
salad, and at least one must be fruit.)
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Not less than one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables or salad must be
available per day per child. In practice this means that sufficient portions must
be available to be able to offer a portion of fruit and vegetables to every child.
However, it is accepted that providing, for example, a piece of fruit every day for
each pupil who takes a school lunch could result in wastage. To avoid this, if you
are providing fresh fruit it would be appropriate to have readily available as an
alternative, tinned fruit or juice, to ensure that where demand exceeds your
expectations, every child is able to have a portion of fruit.
In addition, it would be good practice to provide a fruit-based dessert with a
content of at least 50% fruit measured by weight of the raw ingredients at least
twice per week in primary schools.
Why this standard needs to be in place?
To increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption. Fruit and vegetables are
a good source of essential nutrients, have lots of important health benefits and
can displace food that is high in fat or sugar.
Data collected for the Health Behaviour in school aged children (HBSC) survey in
Wales in 2006 indicated that 42% of 11 year old girls and 34% of 11 year old
boys eat fruit daily. Daily fruit consumption drops between the ages of 11 and 15
with only 36% of 15 year old girls and 29% of 15 year old boys eating fruit daily.
Data collected for the HBSC survey in Wales in 2006 indicated that 33% of 11
year old girls and 27% of 11 year old boys eat vegetables daily. By age 15, only
35% girls and 31% boys are eating vegetables daily.
What this food group includes
Fruit and vegetables in all forms including fresh, frozen, tinned and dried or as
juice.
In this guidance 2 fruit portions should include a variety taken from the list below:
 Fruit: includes fresh fruit, fruit tinned in juice, fruit salad (fresh or tinned in
juice), fruit juice (only as part of a meal) and dried fruit.
 Vegetables: includes all fresh, frozen and tinned varieties whether offered as
a salad, cooked vegetables or as part of a dish (for example, broccoli quiche
or moussaka). A portion of baked beans and pulses are also included but not
potatoes (which are classified as a starchy food).
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 Good examples of fruit-based desserts include: fruit crumble, apple pie, fruit
sponge, apple cobbler, fresh fruit jelly, baked stuffed peaches, summer
pudding and yoghurt/custard with fruit. Fruit used as decoration, or jam
added to a dessert, does not count towards this standard.
What is a portion?
For adults, a portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g, 10 but there is currently no
recommended portion size for children. Practically, we suggest a good guide
would be to serve at least half an adult portion (i.e. 40g) to primary pupils, and
move towards an adult size portion (i.e. 80g) for secondary pupils. The table
below gives examples of how these portions translate into kitchen servings.
How portions translate into kitchen servings
Primary
Secondary
Cooked vegetables
1-2 tablespoons
2-3 tablespoons
Salad vegetables
½ dessert bowl
1 dessert bowl
Fresh fruit
½ - 1 fruit
1 fruit
Fruit salad, fruit tinned in
1-2 tablespoons
2-3 tablespoons
juice
Fruit juice
150ml
200ml
Dried fruit
½ - 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon
Serving suggestions
 Include fresh fruit as well as raw vegetables in salad bars.
 Serve fruit in a variety of ways for dessert, attractively presented and in
appropriate sizes for different age groups. For example: whole fruits, fruit
salad and fruit quarters.
 Add salad ingredients to sandwiches.
 Try to offer two hot vegetables with the main meal as well as a salad bar.
 If the service is a cash cafeteria offer 'meal deals'. For example, include
vegetables and a piece of fruit in a main meal price; include a piece of fresh
fruit with a sandwich.
Good practice
 Serve fruit with other food. For example, grapes with cheese and crackers, or
shortbread with stewed fruit or fresh strawberries.
 Make sure tinned vegetables are the type with no added sugar or salt.
 Make sure tinned fruit is in water or juice rather than sweetened syrup.
 Aim to serve a variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables every day.
 Although baked beans are popular, it is important to offer a variety of
vegetables on your menu and not serve baked beans daily.
10
Ref: Department of Health 5 A Day
www.dh.gov.uk/policyandguidance/healthandsocialcaretopics/fiveaday/fs/en
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Oily Fish
On the school menu at least once every two weeks.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Oily fish should be provided at least once every two weeks in both primary and
secondary schools.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 To encourage children to eat more fish containing omega-3 fatty acids which
help maintain a healthy heart.
What are oily fish?
An oily fish is one containing omega-3 fatty acids. This includes fresh, canned or
frozen salmon, sardines, pilchards, mackerel, herring and fresh or frozen tuna.
NB: Tuna only counts as an oily fish when it is fresh or frozen because the
omega-3 fatty acids are removed during the canning process. Tinned tuna, white
fish, or white fish products with added omega-3 fatty acids do not meet the
requirement.
Serving suggestions
 Use oily fish as a salad ingredient. For example: tinned, smoked or fresh
salmon salad, smoked or tinned mackerel salad, niçoise salad.
 Add oily fish to a sandwich/roll/baguette/wrap filling. For example: salmon and
cucumber, tinned sardines or mackerel and salad.
 As a main course. For example: baked salmon fillet, baked or grilled
fishcakes, fish pie, fish kedgeree.
Good practice
 Offer small taster portions to introduce pupils to fish dishes they may not have
tried before. Research shows that small tasters are a very good way of
helping children to accept 'new' or 'unfamiliar' food.
 Offer a variety of dishes over time to encourage children to keep eating oily
fish.
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Deep Fried Potato Products
Potatoes and potato products cooked in fat/oils in the school kitchen or during
manufacture must not be served more that twice a week.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Deep-fried potatoes and potato products should not be served more than twice a
week.
Why this standard needs to be in place
To cut down the number of times that deep-fried food is served in order to reduce
the amount of fat children eat. This will help to control calorie intake as fat is a
very concentrated source of calories.
What counts as deep fried potato products?
Any potatoes or potato products that are deep-fried or flash-fried either in the
kitchen or in the manufacturing process. This includes chips, oven chips, potato
waffles, potato wedges and pre-prepared battered or breaded products e.g.
potato shapes.
Can fish and chips still be served as part of a school lunch?
Yes, but serving battered or deep fried fish and chips (including oven chips) on
the same day means that only one potato & potato product and one other food
item cooked in fat/oils can be served on the menu that week. Also, this is only
possible if the school lunch menu meets the nutrient standards for school
lunches averaged across a whole week (nutrient standards given in section 4).
Good practice
 When preparing food check whether the food has been deep fried during the
manufacturing process.
 When frying, always use clean oil at the right temperature and the food is not
immersed in the oil for too long. Using the right temperature and timing helps
prevent too much fat being-absorbed.
 Use oil that is high in unsaturated fats like sunflower oil, rape, soya or a mixed
vegetable oil.
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Deep Fried Products
Other food items (other than potatoes) cooked in fat/oils in the school kitchen or
during manufacture must not be served more than twice a week.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Deep-fried or flash-fried food items (other than potatoes) must not be served more than
twice a week.
Why this standard needs to be in place
To cut down the number of times that deep-fried food is served in order to reduce the
amount of fat children eat. This will help to control calorie intake as fat is a very
concentrated source of calories.
What counts as deep fried products?
Any food that is deep-fried or flash-fried either in the kitchen or in the manufacturing
process. This includes prepared coated, battered and breaded products such as
chicken nuggets, fish fingers, samosas, spring rolls, battered onion rings and doughnuts.
Can fish and chips still be served as part of a school lunch?
Yes, but serving battered or deep fried fish and chips (including oven chips) on the same
day means that only one other food item and one other potato & potato product
cooked in fat/oils can be served on the menu that week. Also, this is only possible if
the school lunch menu meets the nutrient standards for school lunches in section 4.
Good practice



Prepare as much food as possible from fresh and avoid deep-frying.
When frying, always use clean oil at the right temperature and the food is not
immersed in the oil for too long. Using the right temperature and timing helps prevent
too much fat being-absorbed.
Use oil that is high in unsaturated fats like sunflower oil, rape, soya or a mixed
vegetable oil.
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Manufactured Meat Products
Should not be reformed/reconstituted foods.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Meat products must meet the minimum meat content levels set out in The Meat
Products (Wales) Regulations 2004.11 Products specifically covered by these
Regulations must meet the same meat content level set for “burgers”, must not
be “economy burgers” and must not contain the prohibited offal listed in these
Regulations.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 To improve the quality of meat and poultry products used in schools.
 To cut down on the number of times that manufactured meat products are
served.
 To reduce the fat content of children's diets.
 To ban products which contain offal on the prohibited list.
 To encourage children to embrace greater diversity in their diets and to
explore new taste experiences in and out of school.
Serving suggestions

Replace manufactured products with fresh meat and poultry.
For
example, you could replace chicken nuggets with chicken legs and shaped
products with bolognese or curry.
Good practice
 Try to avoid highly processed meat products and concentrate on good quality
products with high muscle meat content.
 Talk to your suppliers to make sure that their manufactured products are of a
high enough quality to meet this requirement.
11
www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/wales/wsi2004/20041369.e.htm
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Bread (without spread)
Available throughout lunch. A variety of breads should be encouraged, including
wholemeal bread.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Bread (with no added fat or oil) must be provided on a daily basis at lunchtime as
a meal accompaniment, with a variety of bread, which must included brown or
wholemeal, being provided over the week..
Why this standard needs to be in place
 Bread is a starchy food which provides energy, a range of vitamins and
minerals and is a good source of fibre.
 Pupils who are hungry should be encouraged to fill up on extra bread. This
should help satisfy larger appetites.
 Eating starchy foods is a key part of a healthy diet.
What this food includes
 Most breads are low in fat so are acceptable. These include brown,
wholemeal, granary, high-fibre white and white breads, pitas, and rolls.
 The form of the bread does not matter, so sliced bread, homemade bread,
baguettes, bagets, and chapattis may all be used.
 Some breads have a lot of fat added to them and this makes them unsuitable
to offer every day. These include butteries, croissants, and garlic bread.
Serving suggestions
 Promote wholegrain, wholemeal or brown bread varieties as they have more
fibre than white bread.
 Use a proportion of wholemeal flour when baking homemade bread.
 Serve plain bread, rather than bread with spreads without the addition of fats
or spreads.
Good practice
 Providing extra bread as a meal accompaniment at no additional charge to
pupils is recommended.
 Put a bread basket where pupils can help themselves. Bread should be
easily seen by the pupils who can then pick up a piece if they wish.
 Serve garlic bread as a menu item, not as an extra.
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Oils and Spreads
Only oils and fat spreads high in polyunsaturated and/or monounsaturated fats
can be used.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Only oils and fat spreads high in polyunsaturated and/or monounsaturated fats
can be used in the preparation of food. The Saturated fat content of oils can be
no more than 16g per 100g or more; polyunsaturated fat content can be no more
than 30g per 100g or more; and Monounsaturated fat content can be no more
than 55g per 100g or more.
The Saturated fat content of spreads can be no more than 20g per 100g or less
and a combined monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fat content of 30g per 100g or
more.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 Saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease by raising blood
cholesterol levels.
 Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats have less of an effect on blood
cholesterol levels and help in reducing the risk of heart disease.
What this food includes
Oils are likely to include the following: Olive, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower, corn
soya, walnut, linseed, sesame see and nut oils.
Spreads are likely to include rapeseed, Olive oil, sunflower and soya based
choices.
Good Practice


Ensure that oils and spreads meet the recommended standards before
purchasing.
Use fats and spreads sparingly and limit the amount of additional oils and fat
spreads added to food e.g. potatoes, vegetables etc.
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Table salt and other condiments
Additional salt must not be provided in schools. Condiments, if provided, must be
dispensed in no more than 10ml portions.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Salt should not be provided at lunch tables or at service counters. Condiments
may only be provided in sachets or in individual portions of no more than 10
grams, 10ml or two teaspoonfuls. Where Condiments are provided, these must
be included in the nutritional analysis.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 To reduce children’s salt intake. Most condiments are highly salted and
children often consume more salt than they need. They are then more likely
to eat too much salt as adults.
 High salt intake increases the risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to
heart disease.
 Children do not need extra salt in the dining room because the food that is
served to them will already contain enough salt.
What do condiments include?
Condiments include: tomato ketchup, brown sauce, salad cream, mayonnaise,
French dressing, mustard, pickles and relishes.
Good practice
 Only serve condiments on request.
 Reduce the amount of salt used in cooking.
 Add herbs and spices to dishes to cut down on the need for extra salt and
condiments.
 Talk to your suppliers to pick out products with a lower or reduced salt
content.
Pumps that dispense 10g portions should be well supervised.
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Confectionery
Not to be made available
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Confectionery should not be provided as part of school lunches and throughout
the whole school day. Sweets or chocolate, including products containing, coated
or flavoured by chocolate should not be made available.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 Confectionery products are all high in sugar and some are also high in fat and
do not make a valuable contribution to a child’s nutrient intake.
 Many children, especially in secondary schools, eat confectionery instead of a
balanced meal for lunch.
 Confectionery products contribute to tooth decay.
What does confectionery include?
 Chocolate and chocolate products, for example: bars of milk, plain or white
chocolate; chocolate cakes, buttons or chocolate-filled eggs, chocolatecoated bars.
 Biscuits containing or coated in chocolate (including partly and fully-coated
biscuits such as chocolate digestives, chocolate-covered caramel wafers,
chocolate fingers, choc chip cookies).
 Sweets, for example: boiled, liquorice, mint and other sweets, also sherbet,
fudge, marshmallows, toffee, and chewing-gum; this includes sugar-free
sweets and chewing-gum.
 Cereal chewy bars, cereal crunchy bars, processed fruit bars and sugared,
dried, yoghurt or chocolate-coated fruit.
NB: This standard does not include cocoa powder used in cakes, puddings,
biscuits or low calorie drinking chocolate or combination drinks made with milk,
yoghurt or dairy equivalents including soya, oat and rice-based drinks.
Serving suggestions
 Cakes and biscuits can be served only at lunchtime as long as they contain
no confectionery. Children should only be encouraged to eat these as part of
a meal following, but not instead of, a main course.
 Replace chocolate cakes or chocolate buttons used as a dessert decoration
with fresh or dried fruit.
Good practice
 Develop ‘meal deals’ so that the dessert item is not sold separately from the
rest of the meal.
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 Do not replace confectionery items with a huge variety of cakes and biscuits.
Keep the selection small and try to make sure that most of them contain some
type of fruit.
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Guidelines on recommended nutrient standards
Draft Nov‘08
4.5
Energy
An average school lunch should provide 30% of the total daily energy
requirement. This is based on the assumption that three meals a day are
consumed and that lunch provides approximately one third of the daily intake.
This is a significant contribution, but it must also be well balanced.
An average school lunch must contain:
Nutrient
Primary
Secondary
Energy Kcal
530 ± 26.5
646 ± 32.3
Energy is most commonly expressed in "calories" but the actual unit is a
kilocalorie. The modern metric units for energy are kilojoules (kJ). To convert
kilojoules to kilocalories (calories) divide by 4.2.
Why is this standard important?
 Energy is vital for pupils' growth and development. It enables them to
concentrate, learn and play at school.
 Consuming more energy than you need can lead to weight gain and
associated health problems like coronary heart disease and diabetes.
Sources of energy
Food energy (or energy from food) comes from carbohydrate, fat and protein. At
least 50% of our energy should come from carbohydrate, with no more than 11%
of this coming from non-milk extrinsic (NME) sugars. A smaller amount of energy
should come from fat (not more than 35% of which there should be no more than
11% coming from saturated fat). The rest of the energy comes from protein.
Good practice
Hungry pupils should be encouraged to choose starchy carbohydrates instead of
food high in fat and sugar.
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Fat
An average school lunch must contain not more than:
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Fat (g)
Max
20.6
Secondary
25.1
Why is this standard important?
 Fat has more than twice the calories weight for weight of carbohydrate. It is
a concentrated source of energy and provides essential fatty acids.
 High fat intake can lead to excess energy intake and weight gain.
Sources of fat
Butter, lard, margarine, fat spreads, oils or dressings such as mayonnaise, chips
and other deep-fried food, garlic bread, pastries, cakes, biscuits, creamy
puddings, meat or meat products such as pasties.
Good practice
 Grill and bake food instead of frying.
 When making sandwiches, try not using any butter or spread if the filling is
moist enough. If using fat spread, choose a reduced-fat variety and spread
thinly.
 When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those
products lower in fat. FSA guidance on labelling states that 20g or more per
100g is 'high' and 3g or less fat per 100g is 'low'.
 Ask suppliers about the fat content of food. Ask for products that meet the
FSA voluntary Target Nutrient Specifications**.
Saturated fat
An average school lunch must contain not more than:
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Protein (g)
Max
6.5
Secondary
7.9
Why is this standard important?
 There are two types of fat - saturated fat and unsaturated fat
 A diet high in saturated fat can cause high cholesterol levels and increase
the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease.
Sources of saturated fat
Butter, lard, some margarine, cream, coconut oil or cream, palm oil, mayonnaise,
salad cream, meat products (e.g. pies, burgers or sausages), cakes or biscuits.
Good practice

Choose lower fat dairy products - skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low fat
yoghurt and reduced fat cheese.

Choose lean cuts of red meat and remove the skin from chicken.
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Draft Nov‘08
For cooking, use an unsaturated vegetable oil such as rapeseed oil or
olive oil.
Avoid adding butter or oil to food (e.g. vegetables) after cooking.
When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those
products lower in saturated fat. FSA guidance on labelling states that 5g
or more saturated fat per 100g is 'high' and 1.5g or less saturated fat per
100g is 'low'. Ask suppliers about the saturated fat content of food. Ask
for products that meet the FSA voluntary Target Nutrient Specifications
Carbohydrate
An average school lunch must contain not less than:
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Carbohydrate (g) Min
70.6
Secondary
86.1
Why is this standard important?
There are two types of carbohydrate - starches and sugars.
Starchy
carbohydrates should provide the main source of energy in the diet and should
form the main component of a meal.
Sources of starchy carbohydrates
Bread of all types, rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes, yam, oats, cassava, couscous,
breakfast cereals, wheat grains like bulgar wheat, lentils, red kidney beans and
black eye beans.
These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. spaghetti bolognaise,
lasagna, curry with rice, cottage pie, shepherd's pie, baked potato with beans,
pasta bake and risotto.
Good practice
Wholegrain varieties of bread and cereals are best as they are good sources of
fibre.
Non-milk extrinsic (NME) sugars
An average school lunch must contain not more than:
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Non-milk extrinsic Max
15.5
(NME sugars (g)
Secondary
18.9
Why is this standard important?
 Food and drink high in NME sugars often provide calories but few other
essential nutrients.
 A diet high in NME sugars contributes to tooth decay.
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Sources of NME sugars
 Table sugar, jam, honey, sweetened drinks, cakes, pastries, ice cream,
sweets, biscuits, confectionery and chocolate.
 NMES also includes the sugar released from fruit when it is blended or
juiced.
 Some other common terms used to label sugar are glucose, fructose, beet
sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, syrup etc.
Good practice
 Use less sugar in your recipes.
 Serve fruit-based or dairy-based desserts instead of cakes and biscuits
which often contain lots of added sugar.
 In primary schools fruit juice should only be provided alongside a meal and
not as a snack.
 Restrict access to sugar to be added to hot drinks.
 When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those
products lower in sugar. Ask suppliers about the sugar content of food. Ask
for products that meet the FSA voluntary Target Nutrient Specifications**12.
Dietary Fibre
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Fibre (g)
Min
4.2
Secondary
5.2
Why is this standard important?
Fibre is essential for a healthy digestive system. It assists bowel function and
prevents problems such as constipation.
Sources of fibre
 Brown rice, oats, wholegrain cereals, muesli, potatoes with skins, wholemeal
pasta, wholemeal bread, lentils, chickpeas, red kidney beans, fruit and
vegetables.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. vegetable and lentil
bake, chilli con carne served with brown rice, jacket potato with beans and
fruit salad.
Good practice
 Choose wholegrain, wholemeal or brown varieties where possible.
 If pupils reject wholemeal varieties, use combinations of wholemeal and
white varieties to encourage consumption.
12
www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/tnsschool2006.pdf
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Draft Nov‘08
Leave the skins on potatoes and do not peel fruit or vegetables.
Add pulses and vegetables to stews and pies to add fibre.
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Protein
An average school lunch must contain not less than:
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Protein (g)
Min
7.5
Secondary
13.3
Why is this standard important?
Protein is important for the growth and repair of body tissues like muscles.
Pupils are growing fast so protein is particularly important for them.
Sources of protein
 Meat, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, yoghurt, nuts* and seeds, red kidney beans,
lentils, meat alternatives (e.g. tofu, chickpeas and cereals).
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. chicken and
vegetable jambalaya, chickpea and cauliflower curry, salmon sandwiches,
cauliflower cheese, nut roast*, chicken casserole, omelette with ham and
cheese.
Good practice
 Including plant protein as well as animal protein on your menu will ensure
that pupils are eating protein from a variety of sources.
 Vegetarian pupils should have adequate protein intakes if they eat cereals,
beans and lentils, soya products, eggs, milk and dairy products. For vegan
or lactose intolerant pupils, soya, oat or rice drinks provide an alternative to
milk.
*Be allergy aware, visit www.allergyinschools.co.uk
Iron
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Iron (mg)
Min
3.0
Secondary
5.2
Why is this standard important?
 Iron is needed for the production of red blood cells which carry oxygen
around the body. Iron also plays an important role in maintaining a healthy
immune system. It is especially important for teenage girls.
 Iron deficiency can cause anaemia which may result in loss of stamina,
tiredness and headaches.
 Iron deficiency has also been shown to lower resistance to infection.
 Iron deficiency in pupils may be linked with slower intellectual development
and poor behaviour in the longer term13.
13
Department of Health (1991). Report on Health and Social Subjects No. 41. Dietary Reference Values
for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. HMSO, London
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Sources of iron
 Red meat, offal (especially liver and kidney), canned fish, eggs, dark green
leafy vegetables, peas, whole grains (e.g. brown rice), nuts* and seeds, red
kidney beans, black-eye beans, lentils, chickpeas, dried apricots and raisins.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. lamb casserole,
hummus, spaghetti bolognaise, shepherd's pie, mixed bean wrap and dried
fruit compote.
 Breakfast cereals are often fortified with iron.
Good practice
 Iron from animal sources is more easily absorbed by the body than iron from
plant sources, but plant sources are important because they provide most of
the iron in the diet.
 Consuming food high in vitamin C at the same time as food containing iron
enhances iron absorption.
 Vegetarian dishes should regularly include a variety of lentils and peas, eggs,
dark green leafy vegetables and whole grains.
Zinc
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Zinc (mg)
Min
2.5
Secondary
3.3
Why is this standard important?
Zinc is used by the body and has a number of important functions, including
growth and tissue repair, wound healing and the immune system.
Sources of zinc
 Red meat, offal (especially liver and kidney), eggs, fish, milk and other dairy
products, cereals, red kidney beans, soya products, lentils, chickpeas and
nuts*.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. cottage pie, roast
pork or beef, lentil bake, brown rice and vegetarian bolognaise using soya
mince.
Good practice
Vegetarian dishes should regularly include whole grain cereals, kidney beans,
milk and eggs.
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Calcium
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Calcium (mg)
Min
193
Secondary
350
Why is this standard important?
 Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth, especially during childhood
and adolescence when the skeleton is growing. It is also important for
muscle and nerve function as well as blood clotting.
 Children who do not have enough calcium are at risk of developing
osteoporosis or brittle bones in later life.
Sources of calcium
 Dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, canned fish with bones (e.g.
salmon and pilchards), broccoli, cabbage, dried fruits, tofu, red kidney beans,
chickpeas and soya beans.
 White bread is fortified with calcium.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. cheese and potato
pie, salmon quiche, rice pudding and custard made with milk.
Good practice
 For people who do not drink milk, choose soya, oat or rice drinks enriched
with calcium.
 Use lower fat dairy products; they contain as much calcium as their full-fat
equivalents.
Vitamin A
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Vitamin A (µg)
Min
175
Secondary
245
Why is this standard important?
Vitamin A is important for growth and tissue repair, good eyesight and the
immune system.
Sources of vitamin A
 Oily fish, eggs, liver, cheese, butter and milk.
 Yellow, orange and red coloured fruits and vegetables such as carrots,
peppers, apricots, oranges, papaya, mango, butternut squash, sweet potato,
tomatoes and dark green leafy vegetables.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. salmon fish cakes,
baked sweet potato wedges, red pepper and tomato omelette, carrot and
coriander soup and fruit salad.
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Good practice
Serve a variety of fruit and vegetables.
Yellow, orange and red coloured fruits and vegetables contain the most vitamin
A.
Vitamin C
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Vitamin C (mg)
Max
10.5
Secondary
14.0
Why is this standard important?
 Vitamin C is needed for wound healing and the structure of blood vessels
and skin.
 Vitamin C is an antioxidant which helps to protect the body from infections
and disease.
 Vitamin C enhances iron absorption.
Sources of vitamin C
 Fruits - especially citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit), berries
and kiwi fruits.
 Vegetables (including frozen) -especially broccoli, green and red peppers
and sweet potatoes, potatoes.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. jacket potato with
salad, fruit salad, mixed vegetable hotpot and casserole.
Good practice
 Raw fruit and vegetables contain the most vitamin C.
 Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and may be lost during preparation and
cooking. Prepare and cook food as close to lunchtime as possible.
 Steam vegetables to minimise vitamin losses or cook them in a minimum
volume of water.
Folate
An average school lunch must contain not less than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Folate (µg)
Min
53
Secondary
70
Why is folate important?
 Folate is essential for blood cells, the nervous system and helps prevent
anaemia.

It is particularly important in the early stages of pregnancy as it helps to protect the baby
from neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
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Sources of folate
 Liver, yeast extract, orange juice, green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach),
green beans, beetroot, chickpeas, black-eye beans, broccoli, peas and
brown rice.
 Breakfast cereals are often fortified with folate.
 These food items can be incorporated into dishes, e.g. pea and ham soup
and spinach and potato curry.
Good practice
 Folate may be lost during the cooking process. Prepare and cook food as
close to lunchtime as possible.
 Steam vegetables to minimise vitamin losses or cook them in a minimum
volume of water.
Sodium
An average school lunch must contain not more than
Nutrient
Min/max
Primary
Secondary
Sodium (mg)
Max
499
714
To convert sodium into grams of salt (g) you need to multiply sodium by 2.5
Why is this standard important?
 Sodium is a component of salt. Salt is needed to maintain fluid balance in
the body and for nerve and muscle function.
 Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which may lead to conditions
such as stroke, heart disease.
 Most salt consumed is contained within processed food.
Sources of sodium
Ready made soups and sauces, gravy, processed food, some breakfast cereals,
salty snacks (e.g. crisps and salted nuts), bacon, ham, sausages, pizza, cheese
and condiments.
Good practice
 Limit the amount of salt added during cooking and instead flavour with herbs
and spices.
 Cook meals from raw ingredients rather than using manufactured products
high in salt.
 When choosing prepared products, check the label and choose those
products lower in salt. FSA guidance on labelling states that 1.5g or more
salt (0.6g sodium) per 100g is 'high' and 0.3g or less of salt (0.1g sodium) per
100g is 'low'.
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Food & Drink Available Throughout the School Day
5
Appetite for Life recognices that food provided at school, although important,
forms only part of children and young people’s diets. The school environment
does, however, provide an ideal environment to convey positive messages on
healthy eating and to support children and young people through appropriate
behaviours. In recognition of this recommended standards for food and drink
available throughout the whole school day have been devised to support and
reinforce positive messages on healthy eating. The recommended standards
support the principles of a whole school approach to healthy eating with the
intention of influencing behaviour both inside and outside the school
environment.
Standards for Food Available Throughout the Whole School Day
5.1
Confectionary
Not to be made available.
Savoury Snacks
No Savoury snacks, other than nuts
and seeds (without added salt or
sugar), should be made available.
Fruit & Vegetables
Fruit & Vegetables should be made
available at all food outlets.
Guidelines on recommended food standards across the whole school day
5.2
Savoury Snacks
No savoury snacks other than nuts and seeds (without added salt or sugar)
should be made available outside of lunch provision. However fruit, including
fresh, dried or tinned fruit can be made available as a healthy snack throughout
the whole school day.
Confectionary
Not to be made available throughout the whole school day. Sweets or chocolate,
including products containing, coated or flavoured by chocolate should not be
made available. For a full definition of Confectionary, please refer to the
recommended food standards for school lunch.
Fruit & Vegetables
In addition to the portion of fruit and portion of vegetables at lunchtime; fruit and
vegetables should be made available in any outlet on the school premises where
food is made available. This will help towards meeting the standard for all pupils.
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Implementing the Food Standards across the Whole School Day
5.3
Pupils have access to food and drink in a range of settings in school and we
recommend that the standards for food and drink available throughout the school
day are applied to the following food outlets:





Breakfast Clubs
Tuck Shops
Mid-morning and afternoon break services
Vending services
After school clubs
Breakfast Clubs
Breakfast has long been recognised as the most important meal of the day and
evidence suggests that children who have the opportunity to eat a healthy and
nutritious breakfast prior to the start of the school day are more likely to achieve
their full educational potential. The Welsh Assembly Government made a
commitment to provide for all children of primary school age registered in
maintained primary schools in Wales to have a free breakfast.
The Breakfast offered should be healthy with a choice of 4 food groups; milk
based drinks or products; cereals – not sugar coated; fruit and breads. Children
should be provided with the option of having one item from each of the four food
groups. Full guidance on suggested standards and portion size is available from
the Primary School Free Breakfast Initiative; National Assembly for Wales
Circular No: 10/2006.14
Vending
Vending can be a useful tool to provide a broad selection of food and drink to
children throughout the whole school day. Vending can help ease the pressure
on catering services at lunch time and can provide an effective alternative outlet
for the provision of food throughout the school day.
Where vending can be deemed to be offering a lunch time meal, the food and
drink available must meet the recommended nutrient and food and drinks
standards for school lunches in Wales.
Guidance on how to establish healthy food and drink vending has been published
by the Welsh Assembly Government through the “Think Healthy Vending” 15
publication. The document provides full guidance on planning; involvement of
stakeholders; location of machines and suggestions on healthy products.
14
http://newydd.cymru.gov.uk/dcells/publications/policy_strategy_and_planning/schools/freebreakfastinitiati
ve/fbiguidance/free-breakfast-guidance-e.pdf?lang=en
15
http://new.wales.gov.uk/dphhp/publication/improvement/children/publications/healthy-vending/vendinge.pdf?lang=en
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Guidelines on statutory food standards outside of Appetite for Life
6
 Starchy food such as bread ,potatoes, rice & pasta
- On every day that food cooked in fat or oil is available a food not
cooked in fat or oil must also be available.
- The fat or oil used be polyunsaturated or monounsaturated.
 meat, fish and alternatives (e.g. eggs, bean and pulses)
- Fish must be available on at least two days a week (this can
include oily fish)
- Meat cuts must be available on at least three days a week.
 Milk and Diary foods
- cheese may be included in the meat/fish protein group for primary
children. It can be an alternative to fish or meat.
- Drinking milk should be made available as an option every day.
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What are the recommended drinks standards?
Draft Nov‘08
7
The essential need is to provide readily available drinking water. In addition to
water primary schools may wish to take advantage of the free and subsidised
milk scheme. In primary schools fruit juice should only be provided alongside a
meal and not as a snack.
In secondary schools drinks can also be provided through vending and/or tuck
shops. The Food in Schools Working Group considered a number of principles
when arriving at the list of drinks (Table 3) that should be permitted in secondary
schools including, nutritional benefit and effect on teeth.
More information about each of the food standards, examples of foods and good
practice is given in section 4.4.
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Table 3: Recommended drinks standards for schools across the whole
school day
7.1
Category
Content
Plain water (still or
carbonated)
Fruit juice (still or
carbonated)
Fruit juice from concentrate
(still or carbonated)
No sweeteners (artificial or natural), sugars, honey,
colouring or flavouring may be added.
In compliance with the Fruit Juices and Fruit Nectars
(Wales) Regulations 2003 but no (artificial or natural)
sweeteners used for sweetening16.
Vegetable juice (still or
carbonated)
Milk (semi-skimmed and
skimmed)
No sweeteners (artificial or natural), sugars, honey,
colouring or flavouring may be added.
No sweeteners (artificial or natural), sugars, honey,
colouring or flavouring may be added. Must not contain
more than 1.8% fat.
No sweeteners (artificial or natural), colouring or
flavouring may be added. Less than 5% sugars or
honey may be added. Must not contain more than 1.8%
fat.
No sweeteners (artificial or natural), sugars, honey,
colouring or flavouring may be added.
Plain yoghurt drinks
Plain soya, rice or oat drinks
fortified with calcium
Combination drinks*
Combination of water (still or
carbonated) and Fruit &/or
vegetable juice
Combination of plain milk, or
plain yoghurt, water, fruit or
vegetable juice
Combination of plain soya,
rice or oat drink, water, fruit
or vegetable juice
Combination of plain milk,
yoghurt, soya, rice or oat
drink with cocoa
Hot drinks
Tea and coffee
Primary
Yes
Second
ary
Yes
Yes
only at
lunch
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
yes
Must contain at least 50% fruit or vegetable juice, may
contain vitamins and minerals
No
Yes
Must contain at least 50% milk or yoghurt (of which must
include no more than 1.8% fat) by volume and may
contain vitamins and minerals. Less than 5% sugar or
honey may be added to the milk or yoghurt components.
Must contain at least 50% soya, rice or oat drink by
volume and may contain vitamins and minerals. Less
than 5% sugar or honey may be added to the soya, rice
or oat components.
Must contain at least 50% milk or yoghurt (of which must
include no more than 1.8% fat), soya or oat drink by
volume and may contain vitamins and minerals. Less
than 5% sugars or honey may be added to the milk,
yoghurt, soya, rice or oat components.
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No sweeteners (artificial or natural), sugars, honey,
colouring or flavouring may be added. Milk components
must include no more than 1.8% fat.
No
Yes
*Combination drinks are classified as non-alcoholic flavoured drinks under EU law, and are allowed to
contain the additives and flavourings as specified by Council Directive 89/107 EEC and Council Directive
88/388/EEC
16
Sugar may be added for the purpose of regulating acidic taste, in an amount (expressed as dry matter)
not exceeding 15g per litre of juice as permitted by Schedule 3 paragraph 3(a) of The Fruit Juices and
Nectars (Wales) Regulations 2003 SI No. 3041 (W.286).
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Guidelines on recommended drinks standards across the whole
school day
7.2
For the specific standard concerning the different drinks please see table 3
Plain water (still or carbonated)
No artificial or natural sweeteners, sugars, honey, colouring or flavouring may be
added.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
Pupils should have easy access at all times to free, fresh drinking water. Mineral
water – still and carbonated – is permitted. Water, still or carbonated, containing
sweeteners, sugars, honey, colouring or flavouring is not permitted.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 Water quenches thirst and does not damage teeth.
 To help children switch to drinking water with meals instead of less healthy
 Sweetened soft drinks.
 Water promotes hydration and has no calories.
 To promote water availability in schools – children do not have to pay for tap
water – as it is a drink which is equally accessible to all.
Does the water have to be chilled?
If water can be chilled then it is more appealing but this is not a requirement of
the standard.
Serving suggestions
 Provide jugs of freshly-poured tap water together with cups/glasses on tables
and at the serving counter.
 Consider installing a point-of use water cooler which uses mains water.
 Modern water fountains could be an additional water point in the dining room.
Good practice
 Make sure that water is available, easily accessible and is free of charge to all
pupils where they are having lunch.
 Signpost water stations in the dining room.
 Give younger children a cup or glass of water or let them carry water bottles.
 Make sure that dining room supervisors direct children to water sources.
 Promote water availability throughout the school, so children do not have to
rely on taps in toilets for a drink.
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Milk (semi-skimmed and skimmed)
No sweeteners artificial or natural sugars, honey, colouring or flavouring may be
added. Must not contain more than 1.8% fat.
What is specified in this recommended standard?
 Semi-skimmed, skimmed other lower fat milks can be provided as long as
the milk does not contain more than 1.8% fat.
 Primary schools may wish to talk advantage of the free and subsidised milk
scheme.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 To remove drinks from school which have no nutritional value and can cause
tooth decay.
 Milk, lower in fat, are a good source of protein.
 They contain vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium, which is needed to
build healthy bones and teeth.
 Milk, especially skimmed, contains a high percentage of water and therefore
is good for hydration.
Good practice
 Lower fat milk contains the same amount of calcium, protein and riboflavin as
full fat equivalents.
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Other drinks including combination drinks
What is specified in this standard?
The only drinks provided should be those listed in the table of drinks permitted in
schools. Primary school children are only permitted fruit juice in addition to water
and milk and the juice should only be provided alongside a meal and not as a
snack.
Why this standard needs to be in place
 To remove drinks from school which have no nutritional value and can cause
tooth decay.
 To specifically encourage children to drink water or drinks that provide other
nutrients such as milk, yoghurt or dairy equivalent drinks that address
calcium requirements, and fruit or vegetable juices that provide vitamin C and
other important nutrients such as carotenoids.
What drinks can I serve?
Plain drinks such as water (still or carbonated), fruit juice, vegetable juice, milk
(semi-skimmed or skimmed), plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium
and plain yoghurt drinks. For further clarification please the table of permitted
drinks.
Does this standard apply across the school day?
Yes. Only the drinks listed in the table may be available during the school day.
Good practice
 Provide drinks that are unsweetened, unfortified and additive free.
 Restrict access to sugar to add to hot drinks.
 Offer a variety of fruit juices, for example apple, orange, pineapple or mixed
juices.
 Smoothies made from yoghurt and/or milk combined with fruit or fruit juice
using a variety of fruits to introduce children to new flavours.
 Chill drinks as they are more popular.
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Implementing the nutrient, food and drinks standards
8
There are three key steps to implementing the standards (Table 2). Primarily
these are:
Step 1: Get to know the standards and clarify roles and responsibilities
Step 2: Check school food and drinks provision across the school day against the
food and drinks standards
Step 3: Check school lunch provision against the nutrient standards
Step 1: Get to know the standards and clarify roles and responsibilities
The final food and drinks standards are explained in sections 4.5 and 4.6. There
are many people involved in school provision so roles and responsibilities will
vary depending on the school as well as the catering service. The key elements
outlined in the Whole School Approach must be in place to ensure success in the
implementation process. (See Section 3 pages 3 to 11)
Step 2: Check school food and drinks provision across the school day
against the food and drinks standards
The food and drinks provided at lunch time as well as at other times of the school
day need to be checked against the food and drinks standards (sections 4.3 and
7.1). Schools must be able to demonstrate that their food and drinks provision
across the school day meets the food and drinks standards.
Check that all food and drink provision in all outlets is accurately recorded and
meet the food and drinks standards. It will be necessary to involve all school
food providers in this process. (see Section 3.2 Policy development and
Partnership Working)
Step 3: Check school lunch provision against the nutrient standards
If the food on the school lunch menu has been assessed against the food
standards and any necessary modifications made, then the menus need to be
assessed against the nutrient standards.
Nutritional Analysis Software
To facilitate the monitoring of progress towards the standards in Appetite for Life,
the Welsh Assembly Government has purchased Saffron, a Nutritional Analysis
package, allowing analysis and sharing of sample menus across Local
Authorities. The software program is capable of planning and analysing the
nutrient contents of menus and can serve as a useful tool for Schools and Local
Authorities to implement monitor and comply with nutritional standards. It
produces clearly labelled graphical outputs allowing ease of comparison with the
nutrient standards and is suitable for both primary and secondary use.
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The process of carrying out food values to nutrient values is complex and is
usually carried out by qualified dieticians or registered nutritionists. However the
principle is simple. The starting point is an authoritative source of information
such as those from ‘McCance and Widdowsons ‘The Composition of Foods’
which provides information derived from laboratory testing of thousands of foods.
Energy content plus the quantity of 30 or so different nutrients including fat,
sodium, fibre, and carbohydrate are given for each food tested. Tables provide
nutritional information on common foods such as milk, cheese, bread, meats etc.,
some cooked foods and ingredients for recipes such as flour, eggs sugar etc.
Dieticians and registered nutritionists use these tables to calculate nutritional
values of recipes. These food tables are now available on computer databases
and software has been designed to convert food values into nutrient values. By
loading information into the software an average school lunch can be analysed
for nutritional content. This includes:
 Ingredients for every recipe with accurate weights and measures
 Using the information from the database the nutritional value for those
nutrients in the standards for every ingredient and recipe
 Where the nutritional value is for raw ingredients, the nutritional change
that occurs in cooking must be taken into account
 Portions and weights
 The menu mix with numbers available for each item
 The number of pupils.
The Appetite for Life Co-ordinator is currently collecting menu cycles and recipes
from Local Authority caterers and catering providers for analysis using this
package. The menu cycles and recipes from the current year are being collated
and will be used as baseline data. The nutritional analysis software will enable
school caterers to produce and analyse standard reports on school lunches.
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Implementing the Standards – Step by Step Guide
8.1
Get to know the standards and
clarify roles and
responsibilities
Check all school food
provision across the school day
against the food-based
standards
Does it meet
the standards?
Adjust the school food provision to
meet the food-based standards and
implement changes
Identify which of the foodbased standards and implement
change
No
Yes
Adjust the school lunch provision
to meet the nutrient-based
standards and implement changes
Check all school lunch
provision against nutrientbased standards
Does it meet
the standards?
Identify which of the nutrient based
standards have not been met
No
Implement your new
lunchtime provision
using whole school
approach
Yes
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School Catering
9
Key Role
9.1
School catering staffs are critical to the successful implementation of Appetite for
Life and should be provided with the knowledge, skills and equipment to deliver
the changes. This includes all catering staff (local authority and other school
meal providers) delivering school meals in all maintained schools in Wales.
To ensure their knowledge and skills are fully valued and utilised, caterers should
be:
 Represented on School Nutrition Action Groups and have direct links with
senior management team, school councils and parent bodies
 Supported by a robust and responsive infrastructure at local level
 Provided with training in the skills needed to prepare healthier foods
 Provided with the information and skills required to promote healthier
choices
 Provided with the skills to analyse and develop nutritionally balanced
meals and access to the Saffron software package (see Section 4.8)
 Aware of the opportunities for sharing and the support available from the
catering network consortium, established by the Appetite for Life Coordinator in September 2007
Training
9.2
The Welsh Assembly Government put in place a training package for school
caterers, rolled out during 2007 and 2008; this provides training for qualifications
in healthy eating and practical cookery skills.
A Level 1 VRQ qualification, ‘Provide a Healthier School Meals Service’ is
available in further education colleges; the Welsh Assembly Government has
worked with the Food Standards Agency Wales and People 1st to provide this
bilingually.
Resources
9.3
In addition to the range of publications from the Welsh Assembly Government, a
series of booklets directly related to school meals have been produced by the
School Food Trust17.
Of particular use to school-based caterers are:
 ‘Calculating the nutrient content of school lunch recipes. A Caterer’s
Guide’
17
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk
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‘A fresh look at the school meal experience’
The ‘Caterer’s Guide’ provides a step-by-step guide to help school-based
catering staff manage the responsibility of meeting the nutrient-based standards
for school lunches.
 Understanding the process - What do I need to know?
 Getting involved – What do I need to know?
 Daily management of the systems and processes supporting the nutrient
calculation of recipes – What do I need to look for?
 Facilitating calculation of the nutrient content of school lunch recipes –
How can I help? And Getting help
 Appendices include a checklist for calculating nutrient content; developing
a standard recipe; caterer’s template; notes on common food allergens;
and standard conversion tables
 A reference list provides further sources and websites
‘A fresh look at the school meal experience’18 deals with the key issues found in
most schools and describes a whole school approach to creating a positive
experience.
“If you have a pleasant and happy environment, people will want to eat there.”
Dining Space
 How do we change the dining space to with little money and/or time?
 How can we make the best use of a small space?
 How can we reduce the noise?
 How can we make it feel like a dining room when it also needs to be used
for other purposes?
 How can we make the space interesting?
Lunchtime Management
 How can we shorten the queues?
 How can we make the queue less stressful?
 How can we ensure children and young people have enough time to sit
and eat whilst behaviour is kept in check?
Promoting Healthy Eating
 How can we encourage children and young people to enjoy healthy
options?
 How do we get children and young people to eat lunch at lunchtime
instead of during breaks?
 How can we inform and get support from the parents?
Good Relations
 How can we improve the relationship between staff and pupils/students?
18
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/doc_item.asp?DocId=45&DocCatId=1
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How can we improve the behaviour of the students/pupils?
How can we get the school staff to sit amongst the children and young
people and enjoy their lunch?
How can we ensure everyone’s needs are met?
Source: SFT ‘A fresh look at the school meal experience’
Sustainability, Procurement and Financial Management
10
Part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s statutory role is to promote
sustainable development, as is explained in some detail in the Appetite for Life
Action Plan 2008 (Sections 5 and 6 pages 26 to 34)
In implementing the Action Plan, a number of key principles should be
considered:








Value Wales has developed an All Wales Sourcing Plan for collaborative
procurement across the Welsh public sector to deliver smarter
procurement
Value Wales has established an All Wales Food Group which consists of
representatives from the public sector
Value Wales encourages public sector bodies to purchase food and
manage their catering contracts so as to deliver value for money while
promoting sustainable development and opening up opportunities for
suppliers
A ‘Sustainability Risk Assessment’ (SRA) template19 has been produced
by Value Wales which is intended to ensure that environmental, social and
economic issues are addressed in procurement
The public sector has a duty of care to check food safety and hygiene.
Value Wales has established a contract to provide Food Safety audit
Inspection and Management Service to the Public Sector in Wales
Value Wales is working with the public sector to provide guidance and
support for procurement of fair trade products
The Welsh Assembly Government is working across all sectors to
increase the supply of fair trade products in Wales with the objective of
gaining the status as the ‘first fair trade country’
Procurers should investigate whether organic food can be sourced
affordably as part of the supply mix. ‘Organic Centre Wales’ provides
information on regulatory issues and affordable sourcing of organic
products
19
https://www.buy4wales.co.UK/PRP/strategy/procstratsustaiableriskassessmentandperformancemonitoring.
html
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The Welsh Assembly Government, along with local authorities, recognises
that careful financial management is required to manage the transition to
the new standards in order to minimise the impact on families, particularly
those on low incomes and that there may be a short term decrease in
sales during the transition
WAG are currently consulting with local authorities to investigate how a
sustainable service delivering healthy school meals and an agreed
approach to calculating the cost of producing a school meal can be
developed
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Appetite for Life Guidelines
Marketing and Communications
National Strategy
Draft Nov‘08
11
11.1
In several of the Appetite for Life consultation workshops, the need to challenge
the negative perceptions of school meals held by some parents and pupils was
highlighted. Whilst the profile of school meals has been raised in recent years,
too often the media focus has been on the negative aspects and much of the
good work in schools throughout Wales has been ignored. Overcoming these
negative perceptions is essential for effective and sustainable change.
A national marketing group has been established by the Appetite for Life Coordinator to support the delivery of the Action Plan; the group will develop
mechanisms for gathering and sharing information on approaches developed at
local level throughout Wales. Regular monitoring and evaluating of the
effectiveness of communications and marketing will take place to ensure they are
having the desired effect.
Marketing at School Level
11.2
To ensure that the changes encourage a greater uptake of school meals and
have a sustainable impact, a ‘whole school approach’ is recommended. This
approach aims to develop an ethos that supports and promotes health and wellbeing through the participation of everyone within the school community. It is
particularly important that the young people are involved from the earliest
planning stages especially in secondary schools. Previous experience, including
feedback from the regional workshops, shows that change has been most
successful where discussions were held in the schools beforehand and all
parents kept fully informed.
The first, key step is to establish a School Nutrition Action Group (or similar)
including:
 The senior member of the catering staff
 A member of the lunchtime supervision/support staff
 Members of the Pupil Council and other interested young people
 The Head Teacher or other member of the school senior management
team
 A parent, carer, governor or member of the community
 The school’s Healthy Schools Co-ordinator
You may find it helpful to try some or all of these marketing strategies:
 Creating a comfortable, friendly atmosphere in the school dining hall; this
might include provision of background music
 Caterers attending parents evenings
 Taster sessions for parents and young people to introduce new foods
 Healthy eating poster competitions and displays
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Sending copies of menu cycle and healthy eating information home to
parents
Greater emphasis on health and well-being throughout the curriculum
Monitoring, Research and Evaluation
Using the Evidence
12
12.1
Compliance with the standards will help you to achieve the Healthy Eating
component of the NHSP which stipulates that schools must:
 Ensure that breakfast club, mid-morning break, tuck shop, vending and
after-school clubs meet or exceed current school food standards
 Have a school lunch service that meets or exceeds current school food
standards
Compliance will also help to make your school a ‘sustainable school’ which
‘integrates high standards of achievement and behaviour with the goals of
healthy living, environmental awareness, community involvement and citizenship.
There are eight “doorways” in the framework for sustainable schools, one of
which is “food and drink”.20 Increasing the number of tenders from small and local
producers can also benefit communities; for further information visit the Public
Sector Food Procurement Initiative site.21
Self-Evaluation and Inspections
12.2
Schools will wish to use the findings of their internal monitoring procedures to
evaluate their progress in all aspects of food provision throughout the school day,
linked to the criteria set out in Appetite for Life Action Plan and Food and Fitness
in the School Curriculum in Wales.
To help support and monitor schools in developing and implementing a coherent
approach to food and fitness policies and practices, it is a reporting requirement
in Key Question 4 that ESTYN must comment on whether schools have
arrangements that encourage schools to be healthy.
The following edited extract from Food and Fitness in the Curriculum in Wales22
explains the focus areas of ESTYN’s inspection related to physical activity and
healthy living. The text is based on the Estyn’s Newsletter for Schools,
September 2007.
20
www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools
www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/index.htm
22
Food and Fitness in the Curriculum in Wales (Revised March 2008)
21
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How is work on food and fitness in the school curriculum inspected? 12.3
Learners in all types of schools, across all phases, take part in physical activity
and healthy living initiatives. Inspectors look for evidence of learners’ awareness
and understanding of the importance of healthy and active lifestyles and of how
well the school promotes these matters.
In all types of inspection, Estyn would expect to see work on promoting healthy
and active lifestyles. The Personal and Social Education (PSE) framework sets
out the skills and range of contexts through which learners can be helped to
maintain their health and emotional well-being. Activities to promote physical
activity and healthy living should make a substantial contribution to the
development of this theme of PSE.
The inspection framework makes specific references to healthy and active
lifestyles in physical education, design and technology, and food technology.
Other subjects can also contribute, particularly science and, in secondary
schools, vocational subjects.
Both learners’ understanding of healthy and active lifestyles and the extent to
which the school encourages and supports learners to be healthy and active are
inspected.
All schools in the Development Centres set up under the Physical Education and
School Sport (PESS) initiative should have healthy and active lifestyle policies.
Schools that are involved in the Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes
(WNHSS) may have gained Welsh Assembly Government recognition.
In relation to healthy and active lifestyles, inspectors look at whether:
 the Personal and Social Education provision gives enough attention to
healthy and active lifestyles
 the statutory requirements for health, fitness and well-being in PE are
being met
 learners show an appropriate level of awareness and understanding of
healthy and active lifestyles and have enough opportunities to develop
and extend this in other subjects/extra-curricular work
 the school has enough resources and well-trained staff to promote healthy
and active lifestyles
 the school has a good understanding of healthy and active lifestyles
 the school has a policy on healthy and active lifestyles that has a
beneficial effect on practice
 the school provided a healthy environment for learners and members of
staff during the inspection
 the school is engaged in projects or has gained an award that promotes
healthy and active lifestyles
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Further guidance can be found in the publication: ‘Supplementary guidance on
inspecting healthy living’ (including physical activity and food and drink), Estyn,
May 200723.
23
www.estyn.gov.uk
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Appendices
Draft Nov‘08
13
Appendix 1
Checklist for Head Teachers and Senior Management Teams
Nutrient, Food and Drink Standards Across the Whole School
Day
Key Principle A whole school food policy will help to ensure that the entire
school community and the wider public understands the ethos of the school in
relation to food and drink, both within the curriculum and in food and drink
provision. By engaging the whole community of pupils, staff, parents, carers and
governors, it aids planning, helps drive healthier eating throughout the school
and promotes health and well-being.
Policy Development Process A Whole School Food and Fitness policy will be a
useful tool within which to focus on the new standards for nutrients, food and
drink. Alternatively schools may wish to incorporate a section on food in an
overarching policy on healthy living.
A model Food and Fitness Policy and description of the collaborative process
required is laid out in ‘Developing a Whole School Food and Fitness Policy’.24
The guide identifies these key steps to formulating a Food or Food and Fitness
policy:
 Create a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) or Food and Fitness
Working Group (FAFWG); ensure all sections of the school community
and partner agencies are represented
 Audit food and fitness in the school
 Draft the policy, using the results of the audit; ensure pupils/students are
central to its development
 Consult on the policy, making it widely available to all sections of the
community
 Modify draft policy through analysis of feedback and finalise within SNAG
or FAFWG group; seek approval of governors
 Disseminate food/food and fitness policy as widely as possible in various
formats
 Implement with responsibilities, tasks, timetables and resources clearly
identified
 Include in the School development Plan
 Monitor, evaluate and review regularly as part of development cycle
24
Developing a Whole School Food and Fitness Policy WAG March 2007
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Several existing policies, such as the curriculum, will already refer to aspects of
food provision; it will be helpful to review these to ensure that new policy
developments complement and build on them and comply with national
guidelines e.g. Food in the School Curriculum in Wales, revised edition 200825.
It may also be useful to review other policies such as the anti-bullying policy to
address any bullying issues related to weight or food choices.
Self Review – Food Policy and Provision Checklist
Key Questions to Consider
Yes/No
Does your school have an agreed whole school approach to food
issues?
Does your school have mechanisms such as a Food and Fitness
Working Group (FAFWG) or SNAG group to address food policy issues?
Are all sections of the school community (pupils, parents/carers,
teaching and support staff, catering staff, governors) represented on the
group?
Are you and the staff responsible for food provision aware of the new
recommended nutrition and food standards and have you discussed
how it will effect?Breakfast Clubs
Tuck shops
Vending
machines
Drinking water
Break time snacks brought from outside school
lunches
Packed lunches brought from home
school clubs
School
Food and drink for after
Have you discussed with the school governing body, the caterers and
the local authority whether the kitchen and dining facilities are
adequate?
Does the school provide a comfortable, relaxed dining area where pupils
and staff can enjoy the eating experience?
Have you discussed with your teaching and support/supervision staff,
catering staff, FAFWG/SNAG group, governors and parents/carers the
following aspects of the school’s lunchtime arrangements?
Lunchtime supervision
lunch
25
Queuing arrangements
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Does the school have in place procedures to ensure regular
communications
and
good
relationships
with
your
food
suppliers/catering providers?
Are you and your teachers fully aware of the guidelines relating to food
provision in ‘Food and Fitness in the Curriculum in Wales’?
Have you and your teachers taken steps to ensure that food and
nutrition is addressed in all relevant areas of the revised curriculum from
September 2008?
Is what is taught ‘joined up’ and consistent across all subjects and in line
with the WAG national guidelines and the school’s food policy?
Are parents/carers kept fully informed and consulted about food
provision in your school?
Have teachers and support staff received appropriate training and is this
training being cascaded and is it influencing practice?
Baseline Information on Food Provision - Pupils’, Parents’ and Staff Survey
 What is currently provide within the school day
 What is allowed under the new nutrient, food and drink standards
 What pupils, parents and staff would like to be available
A good starting point would be discussions with the catering manager and the
school council or SNAG/FAFWG group with a wider survey of pupils, parents and
staff to follow. In carrying out the survey it is important that it is made clear why
you want the information.
Details of what might be included in a survey are given in the NGA publication,
‘Food Policy in Schools - A Strategic Policy Framework for Governing Bodies’26.
Food provision throughout the school day
A whole school food policy should address aspects of food provision across the
whole school day as well as education about food and nutrition. The policy
should cover each of the 12 aspects listed below:
school lunches
clubs
after-school clubs
environment
26
packed lunches brought in from home
break time snacks and drinks
www.nga.org.uk
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breakfast
dining
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tuck shop
supply
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vending machines
food allergens
curriculum
Draft Nov‘08
drinking
role of school council or SNAG
water
food in the
Food and Drink Provision Action Plan
In consultation with your SNAG or FAFWG and other stakeholders, determine
your action plan and set out your priorities for development. This should be
integral part of the school development plan and take account of national
priorities and timescales.
Consultation on Final Plan and Proposed Changes
Having developed your proposals you now need to re-consult widely to ensure
that you have support for your plans




Explain why you want to introduce the policy, providing background
information on the need to improve children’s diets and other benefits to
the school
Explain the new legislation relating to school food and make available to
parents copies of the Welsh Assembly Government publications on food
and fitness (see reference section and Appendix 2 of ‘Food and Fitness in
the Curriculum’27)
Describe the school’s survey results which give the views of pupils,
parents and staff about food and healthy eating and changes they would
like implemented
Explain how the policy will be implemented with details of timescales given
and how its progress will be assessed
Implementation Strategy
The Head Teacher and the appointed member of the SMT with responsibility for
school food should have full responsibility for its implementation and day-to-day
management.
As is set out in the Whole School Approach section, some key considerations
are:
 Encourage staff to sit with pupils at lunchtimes to promote good behaviour
and more informal social interaction with pupils
 The physical environment of the school should promote a positive
experience for the pupils, particularly in relation to the dining experience.
 Free drinking water should be available at all times
27
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The dining areas should provide a relaxed and social environment during
lunchtime. “If you have a pleasant and happy environment, people will
want to eat there.” (The School Food Trust publication ‘A fresh look at the
school meal experience.’28 provides detailed guidance on how this can be
achieved)
Encourage senior catering staff to attend parent evenings and/or provide
tasting sessions for parents/carers
To ensure a consistent message is given, careful consideration should also be
given to:
 The type of food provided at social or fund-raising events
 Using healthier food or non-food items to reward achievement or good
behaviour
 Incorporating aspects of food and nutrition in the curriculum at all stages
Monitor and Review as part of School Development Planning Process:
Implementation of best practice by caterers
Vending machine and tuck shop sales
surveys
28
Take-up of school lunches
Pupil
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk
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and
parent
satisfaction
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Appendix 2
Base Line Health Statistics and Other Factors
The need for action is outlined at the beginning of the Implementation Plan
(Reference 2) where the following issues and concerns are listed:
 A balanced diet and appropriate levels of physical activity can help to
maintain a healthy body weight and enhance physical and mental health
and wellbeing.
 Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity in children and young people
can lead to a number of health problems including being overweight or
obese.
 Data collected for the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey in
Wales (Welsh Assembly Government, 2004) indicated that 21 per cent of
15 year old boys and 18 per cent of 15 year old girls are overweight or
obese.
 Nutrition in infants and children appears to affect health in later life. Breast
feeding may help increase immunity and reduce some allergies. The diets
of many children and young people are inadequate, with low intakes of
fruit and vegetables and high intakes of snacks that are high in fat, sugar
and salt. In addition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, e.g. vitamin D and
iron, are common in certain groups. Early intervention is important as
eating habits can become established in early childhood.
 A balanced diet in childhood and adolescence is likely to reduce the risk of
dental problems. While aspects of dental health have improved in recent
years, there are inequalities throughout Wales in oral health, associated
with a variety of factors including social deprivation and lifestyle.
 For children and young people evidence indicates that sixty minutes of
activity on most days will help them achieve healthy growth and
development. There is strong evidence that a more active and fitter
population would have lower rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type
2 diabetes, some cancers and fewer mental health problems. The
proportion of young people meeting recommended activity levels is
worryingly low and declines between the ages of eleven and fifteen.
 A number of researchers have noted improved behaviour and school
performance following a healthy meal and adequate hydration.
 There is growing evidence of effective action that can be taken to improve
children and young people’s eating habits and levels of physical activity.
Full details of the sources of the evidence quoted here can be found in the Welsh
Assembly Government publication, Food and Fitness – Promoting Healthy Eating
and Physical Activity for Children and Young People in Wales. 5 Year
Implementation Plan, 2006. (Reference 2)
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References and Resources
14
Welsh Assembly Government publications relevant to food and fitness
www.wales.gov.uk
Food and Fitness – Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for Children
and Young People in Wales. 5 Year Implementation Plan, 2006
Appetite for Life, 2006
Appetite for Life Action Plan, 2007
In Perspective: Food and Fitness, 2006
Developing a Whole School Food and Fitness Policy, 2007
Climbing Higher (2005) and Climbing Higher – next steps (2006)
Fruit Tuck Shops in Primary Schools
Think Water: Guidance on Water in Schools
Think Healthy Vending and Healthy Vending in Schools
The Class Moves!
Healthier Lunchboxes, Healthier Children
Healthier Lunchboxes. Ideas for Primary Schools
Teach Germs a Lesson
Mind the Germs
The Health Promoting Playground
Food in School Assessment Tool
Physical Activity Assessment Tool
Food Standards Agency Wales
www.foodstandards.gov.uk/wales.htm
(For resources on healthy eating, information on food safety and allergies)
www.eatwell.gov.uk
(For general healthy eating messages)
Estyn (Estyn website: www.estyn.gov.uk)
Food and Fitness in Schools: a report on how well schools in Wales support
children and young people to be healthy and active, Estyn, April 2008
Supplementary guidance on inspecting healthy living (including physical activity
and food and drink), Estyn, May 2007
These publications are available from:
Publication Section
Estyn
Anchor Court
Keen Road Cardiff
CF24 5JW or by e-mail to publications@estyn.gsi.gov.uk
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School Food Trust
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk
A fresh look at the school meal experience (2008)
Calculating the nutrient content of school lunch recipes. A Caterer’s Guide (2008)
A guide to introducing the Government’s food-based and nutrient-based
standards for school lunches (2008)
Scottish Government Publications
www.hmie.gov.uk
Hungry for Success – a whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland
(2003)
How good is our school? Hungry for Success Benchmarks for Self-Evaluation
(2006)
(These inspectorate publications are useful for self-evaluation ideas)
National Governors Association
www.nga.org.uk
Food Policy in Schools – A Strategic Policy Framework for Governing Bodies
Other relevant websites
Nutrition Network for Wales at www.nutritionnetworkforWales.org.uk – includes
information about the Focus on Food Cooking Bus
Information about the ‘taste of Wales’ at www.foodwales.com
A range of food technology, health and safety materials is published by the
Design and Technology Association at www.data.org.uk
Focus on Food Campaign at www.focusonfood.org
Cooking Bus at
http:/wales.gov.uk/topics/health/improvement/children/schools/nutrition/cooking/?
lang=en
Food Fortnight in Wales with a range of case studies and ideas for food in the
curriculum at www.foodfortnightinwales.info
Fairtrade information at www.fairtrade.org.uk
Information on SNAG at www.healthedtrust.com/pages/active.htm
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Physical Activity and Nutrition Networks for Wales at www.panw.org.uk
Association for Physical Education at www.afpe.org.uk
FITT principles: Google FITT for information
British Heart Foundation at www.bhf.org.uk – see publication Food 4 Thought
Hafal at www.mentalhealthwales.net
National Botanic Garden (Trevor Roach) at www.gardenofwales.org.uk
Organic Centre Wales at www.organic.aber.ac.uk
Duchy Originals Garden Organic for Schools at www.gardenorganic.org.uk
or www.foodforlife.org.uk
Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship website with a
directory of resources for schools at www.esd-wales.org.uk
Health and well being information for the people of rural Wales at
www.ruralwellbeing.org.uk
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