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In the Guardian today, the above and:
Three-quarters of secondary schools in England are breaking the rules on food offered to pupils by serving chips, burgers and hash browns too often – and sweets and crisps at breakfast time, according to a report.
“Shocking” breaches of school food standards have been exposed on Monday, in a new analysis of the food provided at almost 400 state secondaries undertaken by Bite Back, a food charity set up by the chef Jamie Oliver.
D’Arcy Williams, Bite Back’s chief executive, said the picture of schools’ widespread noncompliance with the government-set standards that emerged from its analysis was alarming.
There is no closely comparable large-scale public report or analysis for Scotland showing widespread non-compliance rates, such as three-quarters of secondary schools breaching standards. BBC Scotland is today offering children murdered by grandparents, ‘crisis’ towns, toddler sun allergy, wildfires again, one pupil school closure and a murder.
Here’s why.
Scotland has its own statutory framework under the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020. These cover food and drink standards across the whole school day plus nutrient standards for analysed primary lunches, secondary analysed lunches, and secondary hostel evening meals. Limits include restrictions on red/processed meat, requirements for fruit/vegetables portions, oily fish frequency, free sugars, fats, and bans or tight limits on many high-fat/sugar/salt items. https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthy-eating-schools-guidance-2020/pages/2/
and:
Unlike England (where standards exist but enforcement/monitoring has been weaker, contributing to the issues highlighted by Bite Back), Scotland integrates compliance checks into school inspections. Education Scotland employs Health and Nutrition Inspectors (HNIs) who join a sample of primary, secondary, and special school inspections. https://education.gov.scot/inspection-and-review/hm-chief-inspector-reports-and-guidance/inspection-and-review-guidance/school-and-elc/health-and-nutrition-inspections/
Is it working?
Research points to generally strong adherence rather than systemic widespread breaches. Local authority audits and individual HNI feedback (e.g., FOI-released examples) often note that menus meet food/drink standards and that nutritional analysis aligns with (or is close to) nutrient requirements. https://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/files/77196348/77082404.pdf
Will BBC News staff get to this before they’re sacked?
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Talking-up Scotland 
Kids eat what they want. Taste buds mature at 18 years for a more extensive diet.
kids have to take fish to get chips. Leave the fish. Wastage. A big problem. They eat their favourites but take packed lunch other days. Just as nutritional.
They eat popcorn chicken, chicken pie, burgers, beans, chips. Salad and fruit is not so popular. They eat certain salad items or fruit that they like. Eat jelly. Like chocolate. Many adults like these things too. Taken together the kids diet can be quite balanced in proportions and calories. Small portions. Quite adequate.
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