A report by the Food Foundation suggests that current guidelines for serving meat in schools should be reconsidered to promote healthier eating habits among children. The study highlights that children consume more processed meat compared to adults, with over a third of their meat intake being processed. Currently, schools are required to provide meat or poultry for at least three days a week, but the report urges a shift toward increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. The charity advocates for stronger government standards to enhance children's health and benefit local farmers.
It's worrying that children are eating so much processed meat, especially in schools, where meals should be nourishing. The government should review the Government Buying Standards for Food and School Food Standards to ensure they align with the latest health and sustainability recommendations.
This includes relaxing the rule requiring schools to serve meat three times a week and reducing the amount of processed meat served. This would let caterers offer more beans, pulses, wholegrains, and vegetables improving health and cutting costs.
Current policies don't support children's long-term health or British farmers, who face unfair competition from lower-standard imported processed meat.
The study found that 80% of the most commonly eaten meat dishes in schools and educational institutions are either processed or red meat.
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