Battered fish and chips, fried chicken nuggets and jam doughnuts are set to be banned in school dinners in a major government overhaul.
New food standards for schools in England will introduce a ban on deep fried foods from September 2027 as ministers seek to curb the UK’s childhood obesity crisis.
The rules, which are set to be announced on Monday, will also demand that all desserts must contain at least 50 per cent fruit, spelling an end to traditional favourites such as chocolate sponge cake and jam roly-poly.
Current standards prevent schools from serving more than two portions of deep-fried food each week. They are also instructed to serve at least one portion of vegetables or salad every day and at least one portion of fruit.
The changes mark the biggest overhaul of canteen menus since the introduction of the School Food Plan, published in 2013 by Leon co-founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent.
Ministers are seeking to introduce the new standards before the expansion of free school meals to all pupils in England whose families claim Universal Credit.
The Government has claimed the extension, beginning at start of the 2026 school year, will see half-a-million more children benefit from a free meal every school day.
It also claimed that nearly £500 will be put back into parents’ pockets every year, while the expansion will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty.
According to figures released in 2024 and published in the British Medical Journal, the UK is second only to the US when it comes to UFPs, with almost 60 per cent of an adult’s daily diet made up of additive-laden food. Ireland placed fifth in Europe for consumption of UFPs.
Meanwhile, childhood obesity has been a growing issue for years, with easy access to fast food, more screen time and sedentary lifestyles blamed for spiralling rates in some parts of the UK.
At present, more than one in five children in England are living with overweight or obesity when they start primary school, rising to more than a third by the time they leave.
The data, published by NHS England in November last year, found 24.7 per cent of children in reception were classed as obese or overweight in 2024/25.
When it came to analysing severe obesity from the overall obesity figures, 2.7 per cent of girls and 3.1 per cent of boys in reception were severely obese.
This means 2.9 per cent of all children were severely obese, up on 2.6 per cent the previous year.
Tooth decay also remains the leading cause of hospital admissions for young children aged between five and nine.
