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A Once-in-a-Generation Moment for School Food
For the first time in over a decade, the government has updated the school food standards for England, and this time, every school will be held to them.
The government announced the biggest overhaul of school food in a generation earlier this month, updating the school food standards for the first time in over ten years. “Once in a generation” is a phrase that gets used a lot. This time, it’s earned.
For too long, excellent school kitchens serving fresh, tasty food have competed on an uneven playing field with those serving up junk. These standards begin to level that field. Where a child goes to school should never decide whether they eat well. It’s a change we’ve campaigned for over many years, alongside partners across the sector. And it belongs to the young people, parents, chefs and organisations who refused to let school food slip down the agenda.
What’s changing?
The standards raise the bar on what schools can serve, with a clear shift towards fresh, balanced food. The headline changes:
- Deep-fried food comes off the menu, and high-fat regulars like pizza and sausage rolls can no longer appear every day.
- More fruit, vegetables and fibre across the board, with fruit becoming the everyday dessert.
- For the first time, the standards cover breakfast as well as lunch, so the whole school day is included.
- Every school must publish its food policy and menus online, and appoint a dedicated school food governor.
- The Department for Education is developing an approach to monitoring school food, so standards are upheld, not just written down.
The standards come into force in September 2027, with a little longer for secondary schools on some changes. That gives schools, chefs and caterers a year to prepare. New standards only improve children’s diets if children choose to eat the food. The work between now and 2027 is what turns ambition into full plates.
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“For too long, excellent school kitchens serving fresh, tasty food have been competing with those serving up cheap, nutritionally barren junk. The government has drawn a line in the sand and committed to not just improving standards, but ensuring every single school kitchen is held to them.
“We warmly welcome this. History shows that higher standards increase uptake over the long term, when schools and caterers work together.
“We have a year to prepare, and we shouldn’t waste a minute of it.”
– Naomi Duncan, Chief Executive of Chefs in Schools
This milestone lands alongside another. From the start of this school year, free school meals reach over half a million more children in families on Universal Credit.
More children eating at school, and better food in front of them.
How we’re helping
To support schools through the change, we’ve launched the School Food Project, alongside The Food Foundation, School Food Matters, Bite Back and the Jamie Oliver Group.
Together we offer free training, recipes, resources and guidance to help every school kitchen rise to the moment. If your school needs support to meet the new standards, we’re here to help.
Ready to get started? Sign up for support.