School dinners in England to change from 2027
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the first update to school food standards in more than a decade would mean more fruit, vegetables and fibre on children’s plates.
New school food standards for England will be enforced from September 2027, in the first update to the rules in more than a decade, Education Secretary Lucy Powell has announced.
Powell said the changes would mean more fresh fruit and vegetables, more fibre-rich foods and “nutritious balanced meals” for millions of children.
The changes follow other reforms aimed at easing the cost of living for families, including a cap on the number of branded items schools can require in school uniforms.
Schools will be expected to publish their food policies and menus online and nominate a school food governor, the Department for Education said.
The department said it would provide training, resources and guidance to help schools implement the changes, and would work with the Food Standards Agency on how school food is monitored, with more details expected in the coming months.
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said parents and children could expect to see real improvements over the coming year, in the run-up to the standards being enforced in September 2027.
The government said one in three children left primary school overweight or obese, and that tooth decay linked to high-sugar diets was the leading cause of hospital admissions among children aged five to nine. In a survey it cited, 36% of parents wanted more fruit and vegetables in school meals, 38% wanted limits on fatty foods and 33% wanted less sugary food and drink.
Three million children from families receiving Universal Credit are now eligible for free school meals, and thousands of free breakfast clubs are now operating across the country, it added.
Sarah Orves, headteacher of Ilketshall Lawrence Primary in Suffolk, said it was pupils themselves who had asked for change, and the school had introduced “Try it Tuesday” taster sessions a year ago.
Professor Susan Jebb, chair of the Food Standards Agency, said the agency wanted a future approach that was “practical, proportionate and deliverable”, and had been working closely with the department on food regulation and assurance.
The chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver, who backed the changes, said: “190 days of the year 70% of our kids’ nutrition is in the hands of their school.”
“These are once-in-a-generation changes that will transform school food for children across the country,” Powell said.
Correction, 21 September 2026: An earlier version attributed a statement that parents and children could expect improvements over the coming year to the Department for Education. It was made by Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation.
