Queues and cost defeat school meals

3:20am Sunday 6th July 2008

Secondary school pupils are shunning the queues and expense of the school canteen in favour of cheap junk food from local shops, according to new research.

Pupils enjoy the healthy meals introduced by chef Jamie Oliver but are having to pay too much and wait too long to be served inside crowded canteens, they said.

The expense and poor facilities are undermining efforts to overhaul the diet of UK students, the report concluded.

The study of pupils found 80% bought food from local shops, 41% never went to the school canteen and just 6% ate the school's set hot lunch.

Researchers from the Nutrition Policy Unit of London Metropolitan University observed the food shopping habits of pupils from two large comprehensives - one in a deprived urban setting and another in an affluent suburban area.

The urban school let all pupils leave the premises at lunchtime, while the suburban school only allowed sixth formers the same privilege.

Of the pupils allowed out at lunchtime, 97% of the urban students and 100% of suburban students bought food from local shops.

In the school where pupils had to stay on site, fewer than half (44%) bought food from the school canteen, usually sandwiches rather than the full hot meal. Many bought food on the way to school.

The food bought by pupils outside school provided at least 23% of their daily energy requirement and was often high in fat or sugar.

The top 10 foods bought in local shops included fizzy drinks, chocolate, sweets, crisps, cakes, biscuits and chips.

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