{"id":602614,"date":"2026-04-14T03:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T03:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/602614\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T03:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T03:41:17","slug":"traditional-school-dinner-favourites-to-be-scrapped-in-new-healthy-eating-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/602614\/","title":{"rendered":"Traditional school dinner favourites to be scrapped in new healthy eating drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

School dinner favourites – including fish and chips and other deep-fried delicacies – will be axed from canteens across the country as part of Labour’s healthy eating drive. <\/p>\n

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who famously led the ban on Turkey Twizzlers in 2005, has thrown his support behind the initiative aimed at addressing rising levels of childhood obesity.<\/p>\n

The menu overhaul represents the most significant shake-up to school food rules in over a decade.<\/p>\n

Sugary snacks and unhealthy options will be eliminated from dining halls, with all deep-fried items banned under the new guidelines.<\/p>\n

Pastries, pizzas, sausage rolls and similar snacks will face strict restrictions.<\/p>\n

Puddings will also be subject to tighter controls, with all desserts required to include a minimum of 50 per cent fruit.<\/p>\n

Fresh produce, vegetables and wholegrains will take priority in school kitchens.<\/p>\n

Freshly prepared hot dishes will take the place of ultra-processed alternatives.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/p>\n

The menu overhaul represents the most significant shake-up to school food rules in over a decade<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

Suggested menu options feature spaghetti bolognese, Mexican-style burritos and cottage pie served with root vegetable mash.<\/p>\n

Additional choices include jerk chicken with rice and peas, roasted chickpeas and mozzarella wraps.<\/p>\n

Government figures say a third of pupils finish primary school either overweight or obese.<\/p>\n

Dental decay caused by excessive sugar consumption remains the leading reason for hospital admissions among children between five and nine years old.<\/p>\n

EDUCATION – READ THE LATEST:<\/p>\n

\"Jamie<\/p>\n

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has thrown his support behind the initiative<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

A national monitoring system will be established to ensure schools comply with the updated requirements.<\/p>\n

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We’re launching the most ambitious overhaul of school food in a generation. It’s long overdue.”<\/p>\n

She added: “Every child deserves delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them energy to concentrate.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Mr Oliver said: “I’m delighted this Government is updating and enforcing these standards.”<\/p>\n

\"Bridget<\/p>\n

Bridget Phillipson described the new initiative as ‘long overdue’ <\/p>\n

| GETTY<\/p>\n

The television chef has long campaigned for healthier meals in schools.<\/p>\n

In 2005, Mr Oliver launched a crusade against school menus featuring Turkey Twizzlers after slamming them as unhealthy during a TV campaign. <\/p>\n

After the Jamie’s School Dinners series aired, school meals contractors axed them, with the much-loved product later discontinued. <\/p>\n

An online petition was launched to bring them back in 2018, gathering almost 30,000 signatures in support. <\/p>\n

The corkscrew-shaped strips made a comeback in 2020 – though not in schools – with manufacturer Bernard Matthews doubling the product’s meat content and lowering the number of calories per stick. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"School dinner favourites – including fish and chips and other deep-fried delicacies – will be axed from canteens…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":602615,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,549,84,44,395,12384],"class_list":["post-602614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-education","tag-health","tag-news","tag-nutrition","tag-sgg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=602614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/602615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=602614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=602614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=602614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}