For information about the standards and what they will mean for manufacturers and suppliers click here. www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/manufacturersandsuppliers
- We have developed a product that we would like to supply to schools – can the Trust endorse our product, so schools know it is compliant with the standards?
- Does each product supplied for use as part of a school lunch need to meet the nutrient-based standards?
- Do the School Food Regulations (2007) require us to label our products with the nutrient content?
- If we state the vitamin and mineral content on product packaging, this would be classed as a nutrient claim, so how can we provide schools with information about the nutrient content of our products?
- We manufacture a drink containing fruit juice – would this be permitted in schools?
- Can we provide flavoured milk to schools?
- Is whole milk permitted in flavoured milk drinks?
- We are producing a flapjack/cake product for the school market – is there anything we should consider?
- We produce a fruit bar, are these permitted in schools?
- Our company produces a cereal bar containing oats and dried fruit – can these be provided in schools?
- Can we supply schools with our fruit and vegetable crisps?
- We produce coated chicken products, how often can these be provided in schools?
- Would you recommend that manufacturers use fortification of products provided in schools to help schools and caterers to meet the nutrient-based standards?
We have developed a product that we would like to supply to schools – can the Trust endorse our product, so schools know it is compliant with the standards?
The remit of the Trust does not allow it to endorse or approve any particular manufacturer, person, product or brand. Nor can the Trust advise schools or local authorities as to what type of provision should be available within their establishments, as this could be seen by some as endorsement.
There is guidance about the food-based standards, and the food and drink that is permitted throughout the school day on our website.
If you have further questions relating to the food that can be provided in schools, please email our enquiries line: info@sft.gsi.gov.uk.
Does each product supplied for use as part of a school lunch need to meet the nutrient-based standards?
The nutrient-based standards apply to an average school lunch provided as part of a menu cycle and not to individual food and drinks. Therefore, individual foods and products are not required to meet the nutrient-based standards. However, schools and catering providers will need to collect nutrient content information for all products provided during their menu cycle in order to calculate the nutrient content of an average school lunch within a menu cycle. We would therefore recommend that suppliers provide schools and their caterers with nutrient content information for the 14 nutrients included in the nutrient-based standards as part of the product specification for each of their products.
Do the School Food Regulations (2007) require us to label our products with the nutrient content?
The School Food Regulations (2007) do not require that manufacturers and suppliers provide full nutrient content information for products supplied to schools. However, schools will require the nutrient content information (for the 14 nutrients included in the standards) of the products and ingredients they include in their menu cycle in order to calculate the nutrient content of an average school lunch. Therefore, we recommend that suppliers provide schools and their caterers with this information as part of the product specification. It would also be useful for this information to be provided to menu and nutrient analysis software companies so the nutrient profile of the stock items on their software programs is kept up to date.
If we state the vitamin and mineral content on product packaging, this would be classed as a nutrient claim, so how can we provide schools with information about the nutrient content of our products?
We are aware that the vitamin and mineral content of products can only be declared on product packaging when present in significant amounts, and therefore it is not possible to state the nutrient content for all 14 nutrients included in the nutrient-based standards on product packaging. We would recommend that suppliers and manufacturers provide product specifications containing full nutrient information with their products for schools to use in the nutrient analysis of their lunches.
We manufacture a drink containing fruit juice – would this be permitted in schools?
Combination drinks containing fruit juice and water (still or sparkling) can be provided in schools provided they contain at least 50% fruit juice by volume, and no added sugars or honey. Combination drinks are classified as non-alcoholic flavoured drinks under EU law and are allowed to contain the additives and flavourings specified by Council Directives 89/107/EEC and 88/388/EEC.
However, schools are strongly encouraged to provide drinks that are additive free, in line with the original intention of the School Meals Review Panel which was for children to drink ‘pure’ drinks that offer nutritional benefit. We are aware that some manufacturers commenced work very early on to produce innovative additive free combination drinks for schools. Although the government regulations cannot require that only these sorts of drinks be provided in schools at present, they are exactly the drinks that Department for Children, Schools and Families (now the Department for Education (DfE)) and the Trust will strongly encourage schools to promote. The Trust has agreed with leading drinks manufacturers, the British Soft Drinks Association and others (e.g. the Health Education Trust) that they will work together to develop a voluntary code of practice for school drinks.
The summary table in section 6 of the guide to the nutrient-based standards lists and defines the type of drinks that can be provided in schools, along with the associated legislation that underpins the drinks standard:
www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/nutrientbasedstandards.
Can we provide flavoured milk to schools?
Flavoured low fat milk (defined as milk with a fat content of not more than 1.8%), flavoured lactose-reduced milk or flavoured soya, rice or oat drinks can be provided in schools as long as the milk component of the drink is at least 90% by volume, and contains less than 5% added sugar or honey. Flavoured milk is permitted to contain added vitamins and minerals.
Is whole milk permitted in flavoured milk drinks?
There have been some minor technical changes to the School Food Regulations (2007) that came into force in September 2008. These can be viewed here.
These technical changes include updating the definition of milk that can be provided in schools from “skimmed or semi-skimmed” to “low fat milk” (milk where the fat content has been reduced to no more than 1.8%). This has been updated to reflect the definition of low fat milk as defined in Council Regulation (EC) No. 2597/97.
Therefore, flavoured milk containing a combination of whole milk and skimmed milk is permitted in schools provided the overall fat content of the milk component of the drink is no more than 1.8%.
We are producing a flapjack/cake product for the school market – is there anything we should consider?
Cakes and biscuits (including all types of cakes, buns, pastries and sweet and savoury biscuits) can be provided in schools at lunchtime only. Confectionery is not permitted at any time of the school day, and therefore cakes and biscuits containing confectionery (e.g. chocolate chips) are not permitted at any time of the school day.
Nutrient-based standards for school lunches must be met in primary schools by September 2008 and secondary schools by September 2009. To meet these standards, schools may need to reduce their provision of menu items high in fat, non-milk extrinsic sugar or salt. Therefore, we would recommend that cakes and biscuits developed for schools are low in fat and non-milk extrinsic sugar to assist school caterers to meet the nutrient-based standards.
As the food-based standards require schools to provide a portion of fruit and a portion of vegetables per pupil per day, we would recommend that cakes and biscuits contain fruit (e.g. dried fruit such as raisins or dried apricots) wherever possible to assist school caterers to meet this standard.
Finally, we would recommend that product specifications including nutrient content information for the 14 nutrients included in the nutrient-based standards are available to school caterers, to enable them to use this information in the calculation of the nutrient content of an average school lunch.
We produce a fruit bar, are these permitted in schools?
Fruit bars that are made up purely of dried fruit in its original form (i.e. not processed and extruded into a 'bar' or 'leather' but are simply compacted, unprocessed, pure dried fruit) are permitted in schools. Dried fruit contains sugar in the cells, which is less damaging to teeth than the added sugar in confectionery. Fruit bars that are made up purely of compacted dried fruit may contain up to 0.5% vegetable oil as a glazing agent, to prevent the product breaking apart.
Fruit bars that have been processed or extruded into a 'leather' texture are not permitted in schools. This type of processing releases the sugar from the cells so it can do more damage to teeth.
Our company produces a cereal bar containing oats and dried fruit – can these be provided in schools?
Confectionery is not permitted in schools at any time of the school day, as confectionery products are high in sugar and can also be high in fat. Cereal bars (including chewy cereal bars and crunchy cereal bars) are classed as confectionery, and are therefore not permitted in schools.
Can we supply schools with our fruit and vegetable crisps?
The only snacks that can be provided in schools are nuts, seeds, fruit or vegetables with no added salt, sugar, honey or fat. Therefore, fruit or vegetable crisps that consist purely of dried fruit or vegetables are permitted, but crisps that contain added salt, sugar, honey or fat are not permitted.
We produce coated chicken products, how often can these be provided in schools?
Chicken that has been shaped or coated (e.g. chicken in breadcrumbs or batter) is classed as a group 4 meat product. A product from each of the four meat product groups may be provided no more than once per fortnight across the school day. Therefore, if chicken in breadcrumbs is provided at lunchtime, no other group 4 meat products can be provided during that fortnight.
Would you recommend that manufacturers use fortification of products provided in schools to help schools and caterers to meet the nutrient-based standards?
The school food standards do not prevent the fortification of products provided in schools, with the exception of some drinks. Fortification of some foods is mandatory in the UK, for example, white and brown flour must be fortified with calcium, iron, thiamine and niacin to replace the nutrients that are lost during the processing, and margarine must be fortified with vitamins A and D.
One aim of the standards is to encourage pupils to select a balanced lunch containing the nutrients that they need from foods that naturally contain these nutrients. For example, the standards require oily fish to be provided, as these contain omega-3 fatty acids, but the provision of fortified white fish in place of oily fish is not permitted as this would not encourage pupils to eat oily fish.
Although we understand that some of the nutrient-based standards are more challenging to meet than others (e.g. the nutrient-based standard for minimum iron content), we would recommend that wherever possible, the standards are met through the provision of foods that are naturally high in these nutrients, rather than using products that have been fortified to provide high levels of individual nutrients.
