Deep-fried food (including those deep-fried or flash-fried in the kitchen or manufacturing process) should not be provided more than twice a week.
What is specified in this standard?
Deep-fried food (including those deep-fried or flash-fried in the kitchen or manufacturing process) should not be provided more than twice a week across the school day. For example, serving battered or deep-fried breaded fish and chips (including oven-baked chips) on the same day means that no other deep-fried food can be provided that week.
Why this standard needs to be in place
To cut down the number of times that deep-fried food is provided in order to reduce the amount of fat children eat. This will help to control calorie intake as fat is a very concentrated source of calories.
What counts as a deep-fried food?
- Any food that is deep-fried within the school kitchen
- Any food that is flash fried during manufacture. Foods that can be flash-fried during manufacture include:
- oven chips
- potato products including waffles, hash browns, roast potatoes, potato wedges, diced potatoes, sauté potatoes, other potato shapes
- fish products such as breaded or battered fish, fish fingers, fish cakes, fish nuggets, fish shapes
- other coated, breaded or battered products e.g. chicken nuggets, breaded chicken fillets or burgers
- vegetable or bean burgers
- battered onion rings
- samosas
- plantain chips
- spring/pancake rolls
- tempura, pakora and bhaji
- doughnuts
It is important to read the product label and/or product specification information of bought in products to check which items have been flash-fried and would therefore be restricted under this standard.
Good practice
- Prepare as much food as possible from fresh and avoid deep-frying, using cooking methods which do not use fat or oil such as boiling or steaming instead.
- When frying, always use clean oil at the right temperature.
- Use oil that is high in unsaturated fats like sunflower oil, rape, soya or a mixed vegetable oil.
Does this standard apply across the school day?
Yes. Only two deep-fried items can be provided in a single week across the school day. It is important that there is a process in place to check the food provision in all outlets operating within the school to ensure this standard is met across all outlets.
