Plan for healthier school meals in England will hit services, say caterers | School meals
School meal providers have warned that the government’s push for schoolchildren to eat more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch could have a “devastating impact” and make catering services unsustainable.
Proposals for healthier meals in British schools that would limit the amount of sweets and cut back on grab-and-go items such as pizza and sausage rolls would put pressure on an already struggling sector, caterers have said.
Brad Pearce, president of The School Food People, a trade body representing school meal providers, warned that the changes would likely increase costs and force students to find somewhere to buy junk food.
“We think there will be unintended consequences for secondary school students to buy their food and drink on the way to school, or to leave school at lunchtime and buy it on the high street.
“This has a devastating impact on the viability of our services, whether it is a self-run school or a major catering provider, in terms of revenue, payment for staff, food and supplies,” he said.
Tracey Smith, managing director of catering company Sodexo’s schools and college division, added that caterers already have to balance “nutrition with what children find attractive and what they actually want to eat”.
He said: “We don’t want children bringing unbalanced packed lunches because they think they don’t like school meals or can’t afford them.
“If you’re looking at a really high-quality vegetarian meal, it might be the same price as a meat dish.”
The proposals, announced earlier this month and the first major update to school food standards in 13 years, will prioritize children’s fiber intake. Some changes, including making it mandatory for all school puddings to contain at least 50% fruit, are expected to come into force in September 2027. Deep-fried foods such as battered fish and chicken nuggets will be banned.
Lentils will be included in more meals as a healthier and more nutritious alternative to meat in some cases, but suppliers say this could increase their costs even further, given that legumes are mostly imported into the UK.
Wholesaler Bidfood, which supplies school caterers across the country, said the stricter demands would put further pressure on the industry.
Gavin Squires, business development controller at Bidfood, said: “Reduced menu flexibility in certain areas, as well as changes to menus and product specifications, could have negative impacts on sourcing, availability and stock management at a time when supply chains are already strained.”
The average cost of a school lunch in England was £3.16 last year, but caterers said prices were mainly affected by the level of government funding.
The government spends £1.5 billion each year providing free school meals for around 3.4 million children. This figure is expected to increase from September this year, when all households receiving universal credit will be entitled to free meals, reaching more than 500,000 children.
High inflation has already increased the pressure on catering companies that normally operate on low profit margins. The war in Iran is expected to further increase food prices.
Compass Group, one of the industry’s largest providers, has a net profit margin of just 4%. The margin of the Sodexo group, which also offers facility management services, is 2.8%. Bidfood’s margins were around 3% in the 2025 financial year, according to accounts filed at Companies House.
Pearce said members of The School Food People have reported 50-70% inflation in food prices in their supply chains over the past three years.
“The pressures from the rise of the living wage in the UK and the living wage in London are huge,” he said. “In addition, the war in the Middle East and increases in fuel costs are increasing the pressure on an already very difficult situation.”
But Stephanie Slater, chief executive of the charity School Food Matters, said healthier food standards did not necessarily mean higher costs.
“There’s a real squeeze right now on food inflation and labor costs,” he said. “But it’s a broader issue that this is less about food standards and more about the fact that the system needs more funding.”
The Department for Education is consulting on its proposals until June 12, along with plans for the new rules to come into force next year.
The proposed changes come at a time of growing concern about children’s health; 2024 data published by the NHS in January shows 24% of nursery and primary school children are living with overweight or obesity.
This is the first change to school meals since the government mandated it in 2012. School Meal Plan Written by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, co-founders of the Leon food chain. The revamp comes two decades after parents at a school in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, caused a national storm after they were photographed passing food through iron bars in an action portrayed as a protest against chef Jamie Oliver’s healthy eating campaign.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “Our new school meal standards have been tested extensively with caterers, schools and nutritionists to ensure they are workable, realistic and do not have negative knock-on effects on parents and pupils.
“Throughout this process, we have seen many schools across the country already producing affordable, delicious meals that meet these standards. Many have seen the cost of meals decrease.”
The spokesman said a “phased approach” would be implemented to give caterers time to adapt.
