Is there too much meat in school dinners? Why campaigners want to replace ‘sausages and bacon’

• A report by a UK healthy eating charity has found one in three servings of meat children eat is processed
• Three of the top five meat items served in schools are also processed
• Processed meats have been linked to a number of serious health conditions, the charity says
• It is calling for less meat on the school dinner menu overall - and more beans and veggies

Campaigners say children are being served up a ‘worrying’ amount of processed meats in their school dinners - and policymakers need to take action.

In a new report released last week, healthy eating charity The Food Foundation has investigated which kinds of meat the UK is eating - and taken a deep dive into why it matters. It found that the country eats twice as much meat as the global average, with Northern Ireland eating the largest amount of the UK’s nations.

The report has also shone an unexpected light on children’s school dinners, as well as what the charity views as a big potential problem with what’s in them. With the Government recently beginning large-scale trials of its free school breakfast club initiative in England, on top of expanding its existing free school meal programme, making sure they’re benefitting children as much as possible has been drawn into sharper focus than ever.

But what kinds of meat are children eating at home and at school, and why could it be an issue? And what does the charity believe needs to change about the UK’s school dinners? Here’s what you need to know:

Kids eating ‘too much processed meat’

The report found that children were eating far more processed meat proportionally than adults. More than a third of all the meat that children eat is processed (36%), while 9% of all the meat that under-18s eat comes in the form of pizza toppings. But the charity acknowledged that for families, processed meat products were often the more affordable option - both at the grocery store, and when eating out.

“The UK’s food system is rigged against parents trying to feed their families healthy foods, with processed meat an affordable and all too available option when eating out of the home,” spokesperson Rebecca Tobi said. “As a nation we are eating too much processed meat, despite a very strong body of evidence linking it to a host of chronic diseases.”

Processed meats are meats that have been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. They include sausages, bacon, ham, deli meats, salami, sausages, and even white processed meat, like chicken nuggets.

But while meat in general can form part of a healthy diet, processed meats in particular come with a few health warnings. A major study by Harvard researchers, conducted over the course of 30 years, found that people who ate the most ultra processed foods had a higher risk of an early death by any cause. Different kinds of ultra-processed foods yielded different results too, with meat products like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and bacon having a bigger impact.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies processed meat as a class 1 carcinogen, meaning there is “convincing evidence” that it can cause colorectal cancer in humans. Red meat was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans” due to a correlation between eating red meat and developing colorectal cancer, although due to limited evidence other factors can’t be ruled out.

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What does the report say about school dinners?

The report showed that four out of five of the most commonly eaten meats in schools and educational institutions were either red or processed. In first place was ham, followed by sausages, chicken in third place - the only exception - then bolognese sauce, and sausage rolls rounding out the top 5.

Currently, the Government’s official standards for school meals recommend serving one portion of meat or poultry three or more days each week - as well as oily fish once or more every three weeks. Foods high in fat, salt and sugar, are restricted, as are “low quality reformed or reconstituted foods”.

However, the Food Foundation says these rules need to be updated. In its recommendations for policymakers, it says that the current requirement for schools to serve meat three days a week should be relaxed, “and guidance should recommend removing/limiting the amount of processed meat being served to children”.

Ms Tobi added: “It is particularly worrying to see children eating such a high proportion of processed meat, with schools and restaurants often serving up very meaty menus… Businesses and policymakers must work together for both people and [the] planet to ensure that healthier and more sustainable plant-rich options are more available and crucially more affordable to better support families.”

The charity is pushing for the Government to promote eating more fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses and legumes, and to create a strategy across all of the devolved governments to support strong, thriving horticulture industries. It also suggested a review of the state’s buying standards for food, strengthening procurement rules for schools, hospitals, and other public services - to make sure healthy and high quality meat is being served.

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