Magic Breakfast welcomes the Government’s ‘once-in-a generation’ reform to School Food Standards, strengthening the nutritional quality of food and drink served in schools across England.
For more than a decade, the School Food Standards have provided an important framework for ensuring children can access nutritious food at school. We welcome the Government’s decision to update the standards so they better reflect current dietary guidance and support children’s health, development and ability to learn. Alongside improving guidance around governance and transparency.
Whilst Magic Breakfast has always adhered to existing School Food Standards, we are particularly pleased to see the introduction of dedicated standards for breakfast provision for the first time ever. Breakfast is an important opportunity for children to access a nutritious meal and start the school day well. Through our work with schools and children across England and Scotland, we see first-hand the difference that a healthy breakfast can make to children’s readiness to learn, their concentration and their experience of the school day.
The new breakfast standards will provide greater clarity for schools on the food that should be offered, including a stronger focus on fibre and healthier choices. As called for in our response to the Government consultation1, we support measures to reduce foods high in fat, sugar and salt, alongside restrictions on deep-fried foods and high-sugar options. This is particularly important as the Government continues to roll out free breakfast clubs across primary schools in England.
We also welcome the Government’s plans to strengthen accountability around school food. The introduction of a national compliance framework from September 2027, alongside proposals for schools to appoint a lead governor for school food and publish their food policies and menus online, will give school food greater visibility and ownership at a governance level. It will also make it easier for parents and communities to understand the food and nutritional options being provided to children.
The commitment to develop a national monitoring system for school food is also an important step forward. Better data on what food is being provided and taken up will help Government and the sector understand where provision is working well and where further support is needed, helping to ensure that every child can benefit from a healthy meal at school.
As the new standards are introduced, it will be important that schools are given the resources and support they need to deliver them effectively, and we look forward to examining in more detail the Government’s plans to do this to support future implementation.
The rising cost of food, alongside inflation, staffing, procurement and supply chain pressures, continues to place significant pressure on school food budgets. High-quality school food requires sustainable investment. We therefore continue to urge the Government to ensure that funding for school food provision keeps pace with inflation and reflects the real cost of procuring, delivering and serving nutritious, healthy food.
Every child should have the opportunity to start the school day well. Strengthening the standards for school food, including breakfast, is an important step towards making that a reality.
We look forward to working with the Government as it looks to engage with schools, caterers and sector partners to co-develop the practical implementation materials and provide support to stakeholders in preparation for the revised requirements.