Labour set to remove fish and chips from school lunches amid health push as chicken nuggets and puddings also under threat

Fintan Starkey
Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:38:08 +0000

Labour is set to remove popular lunch staples including chicken nuggets, fish and chips, and traditional puddings such as cake and custard from school menus across England.

The sweeping reforms, due to take effect from September 2027, represent the most significant revision of School Food Standards in over 10 years.

Deep-fried foods will face a complete ban under the new rules, while sweet treats will be subject to strict limitations requiring a minimum of 50 per cent fruit content.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described the measures as the most ambitious transformation of school food in a generation, as ministers seek to address mounting concerns over children's health and dietary habits.

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The new standards go considerably further than existing guidance, which currently permits fried food to be served up to twice weekly.

Sides prepared in fat or oil, including chips and hash browns, will be restricted to a maximum of two servings per week under the revised framework.

Cheese-heavy dishes where dairy forms the primary ingredient, such as pizza and paninis, will face identical twice-weekly limits.

Sugary pastries, pizzas and convenience items like sausage rolls will be sharply curtailed, with fruit, vegetables and wholegrain options taking their place.

Schools will be obligated to publish their menus online and designate a governor with specific responsibility for food standards under new enforcement provisions.

Secondary schools will benefit from a phased implementation, allowing time for recipe development, menu updates and staff training.

The crackdown comes as statistics reveal one in three children now leave primary school either overweight or obese.

Tooth decay associated with excessive sugar consumption remains the leading reason for hospital admissions among five to nine-year-olds.

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Ministers contend that school meals have contributed to the problem, with unhealthy choices remaining widely available despite current guidelines.

Sharon Hodgson, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Health and Social Care, characterised the situation as a "child obesity epidemic".

She noted that young people currently consume approximately double the recommended amount of free sugar.

The government argues these reforms are essential to ensure pupils receive healthier, more balanced nutrition throughout the school day, addressing what officials view as a growing public health crisis.

Ms Phillipson stated: "Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that good standards on paper become good food on the plate."

The overhaul follows more than a decade since Jamie Oliver's prominent campaign against unhealthy school meals, which famously targeted Turkey Twizzlers.

Henry Dimbleby, who co-founded the Leon restaurant chain and commissioned the original School Food Plan alongside John Vincent, welcomed the announcement.

He said: "Today we have a rare chance to reset school food: wider access to free school meals, higher standards with proper monitoring to help schools improve what ends up on the plate."

Proposed alternative dishes include spaghetti bolognese, jerk chicken with rice and peas, burritos and cottage pie with root vegetable mash.