< img src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c396afdf3d481991be7f510a96403ff66f625686/340_0_2500_2000/master/2500.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=45a8483bfac7dbd6131c66605e9777bd"alt =""> A government push to get schoolchildren consuming more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch might have a “disastrous effect”, making catering services unviable, school meal providers have warned.Proposals for much healthier meals in English schools, which would restrict the amount of desserts and decrease”grab-and-go”items such as pizzas and sausage rolls, would stack pressure on an already struggling sector, catering services said.Brad Pearce, the chair of The School Food People, a trade body that represents school meal providers, warned the changes were likely to drive up costs and push pupils to discover somewhere to purchase junk food.”We believe there will be unintentional repercussions of secondary school trainees who buy food and beverage on the way to school, or leave schools at lunchtime and buy it on the high street.” That has a destructive result on the viability of our services in regards to profits, and payment for staff and food and
ingredients– whether that’s a school that runs its own service or a large catering service provider,”he said.Tracey Smith, the chief executive of the caterer Sodexo’s school and university business, included that caterers already had to balance”nutrition versus what kids find appealing and what they in fact want to consume”. She stated:”What we don’t want is children to start bringing in jam-packed lunches that aren’t well balanced due to the fact that they think that they do not like the school food or that they can
not manage it.”If you are looking at a truly premium vegetarian dish, that could be the same rate as a meat dish.” The propositions announced earlier this month and the first significant
update to school food standards in 13 years, will prioritise children’s fiber consumption. Some changes are expected to come into impact in September 2027, consisting of making it necessary for all school puddings to be made of a minimum of 50%fruit. Deep-fried items such as battered fish and chicken nuggets will be banned.Lentils are most likely to be integrated into more meals as a healthier and nutritious replacement for meat in many cases, although suppliers have actually said that– given the beans are primarily imported into the UK– it might drive up their expenses further.The wholesaler Bidfood, which provides school catering services across the nation, said more stringent needs would add additional stress on the industry.Gavin Squires, a service development controller at Bidfood, stated: “Modifications to menus and product specs, along with reduced menu versatility in certain locations, might have ramifications for sourcing, schedule and stock management, at a time when supply chains are currently extended.
“The typical expense of a school lunch in England was ₤ 3.16 in 2015, although catering services stated prices were mainly influenced by the level of financing from the government.The federal government spends ₤ 1.5 bn every year to supply free school meals for about 3.4 million kids. This figure is expected to rise from September this year, when all families in invoice of universal credit will be entitled to totally free meals, extending access to more than 500,000 children.Elevated inflation has currently increased pressure on caterers, who usually operate on low revenue margins.
The war in Iran is anticipated to additional push up food prices.Compass Group, among the greatest providers in the sector, has a net earnings margin of just 4%. Sodexo, a group that also offers facilities management services, has a margin of 2.8%. Bidfood’s margin was about 3%in its 2025 financial year, according to accounts submitted at Business House.Members of The School Food Individuals have actually reported 50-70%inflation in food costs in their supply chain in the past 3 years, Pearce said. “The pressures from the boost in the UK living wage and the London living wage are substantial, “he stated.”Plus you have the war in the Middle East and increases in fuel costs; it is adding pressure on what is currently a really difficult situation.”However, Stephanie Slater, the chief executive of the charity School Food Matters, stated much healthier food requirements did not necessarily equate to greater expenses.”There is a genuine squeeze at the minute with food inflation and labour costs, “she said.”But it is a more comprehensive problem that it is less about food standards and more about the reality that the system needs more financing. “The Department for Education is consulting on its proposals until 12 June, with prepare for the new rules to come into force next year.The proposed changes come in the middle of increasing concerns around children’s health, with information for 2024 released by the NHS in January showing that 24 %of nursery and main schoolchildren were overweight or living with obesity.It is
the first overhaul to school meals considering that 2012, when the government-commissioned School Food Strategy was written by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, the co-founders of the food chain Leon. The revamp comes twenty years after parents at a school in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, caused a storm of nationwide coverage after being visualized passing food through its iron railings in an what was depicted
as a demonstration versus the chef Jamie Oliver’s healthy-eating campaign.A representative for the Department for Education stated:”Our brand-new school food requirements were completely checked with caterers
, schools and dietary experts to make certain they are deliverable, practical and don’t have harmful knock-on effects to parents and pupils.”Throughout this procedure we found that numerous schools throughout the country are already developing affordable, scrumptious meals that fulfill these standards. Several saw the cost of meals fall.”The spokesperson stated a”phased method”would be taken to provide caterers time to adapt.