English Secondary Schools Frequently Violate Healthy Food Rules, Report Finds
A new report by Jamie Oliver’s Bite Back charity reveals that three-quarters of secondary schools in England are not adhering to healthy food standards. The analysis, which examined menus from nearly 400 state secondary schools, found widespread breaches including the frequent serving of chips, burgers, and hash browns. Additionally, sweets and crisps were offered at breakfast time in many schools. Specifically, 53% of schools offered banned high-fat, sugar, or salt products as snacks, while 57% provided meat products like burgers and nuggets more often than the permitted twice a week. Hash browns were offered too frequently in 37% of schools, and 31% used banned chocolate in desserts. D’Arcy Williams, Bite Back’s chief executive, described the findings as alarming, highlighting a system that is failing children by surrounding them with unhealthy food throughout the school day. The Department for Education acknowledged the non-compliance and stated plans for a strengthened enforcement regime and increased ... 
