School meals
Hungry for Success sets out clear nutritional standards for school meals in Scotland aimed at ensuring that the food served to children represents a balanced meal and is of suitable quality.
These nutritional standards can be met through the planning of menus, product specification of individual items, portion sizes and the number of times certain dishes are served each week.
The standards set out the maximum salt, sugar and fat content of items and also what proportions of the different food groups below should make up each meal.
- Fruit and vegetables
- Bread, other cereals and potatoes
- Milk and dairy foods
- Meat, fish and alternatives
- Fatty foods and sugary drinks
To support implementation of the new standards, specially commissioned nutritional analysis software has been produced that helps self-evaluation of school meals. This software also helps in the external evaluation of school meals carried out as part of HMIE inspections.
Schools should not actively promote or advertise full fat crisps, confectionery or fizzy, sugary soft drinks in the dining hall.
Healthier choices
As well as meeting nutritional standards, schools should also take steps to direct pupils to make appropriate and healthier choices through:
- clear labelling
- promotions and incentives
- healthier choices in prominent positions
- sufficient supply of healthier choices
- good quality and well presented dishes
- affordable pricing
- free fresh drinking water
- taster sessions
- appropriate provision for special diets.
The School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) could help to monitor the uptake of healthier choices, gather feedback from pupils and staff on what they like or dislike and have a continuing role in suggesting new and different options.
They could also play an important role in marketing the healthier choices throughout the school and encouraging people to try them out by holding themed or taster days.
Local partners
Each local authority has a Hungry for Success coordinator who can assist schools in implementing the initiative and many also have local partnership action groups. These groups usually have representatives from a variety of partners such as the catering service, quality improvement, health promotion, community dietician, headteachers and leisure centres, to ensure a consistent approach is taken across the local authority area.
Useful links
Hungry for Success
Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland is the final report of the Expert Panel on School Meals with recommendations for nutritional standards for school meals.
Eating for Health: Meeting the Challenge
Eating for Health: Meeting the Challenge is the strategic framework for food and health published by the Scottish Executive to build upon the key actions outlined in the earlier document Improving Health in Scotland: The Challenge (2003). The new framework will be used to further develop food and health policy and to guide national and local food and health action plans.
School Meals on Scottish Executive website
The School Meals pages on the Scottish Executive website have information about Hungry for Success, free school meals, the free fruit initiative and guidance circulars.
PDF file: Nutrition in Schools Scottish Executive Circular No 2/2003 (72.5KB)
The Nutrition in Schools Circular outlines the recommendations of Hungry for Success and the funding arrangements for implementing the changes.
