Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

School Food Standards

Monday 22 June 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government is updating school food standards for the first time in a decade.
  • The Department is developing new governance and compliance proposals to support schools in implementing the new standards.
  • The Government is considering all responses from the recent consultation on the new proposals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jim Dickson Lab Dartford
NHS Education
Context

The current school food served is still not as healthy as it should be, despite past efforts like Jamie Oliver's campaign against unhealthy options.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to improve the nutritional standards of school food. I am delighted by the Minister's assurance that the Government have consulted on the first update to school food standards in a decade. I am, however, slightly puzzled by the phased approach to improving the drinks served in secondary schools until September 2028. Will the Government consider speeding up the timetable and moving towards alignment with primary schools?

Answer from Olivia Bailey

Alongside updating the standards, we also want to support schools to implement them. We are developing new governance and compliance proposals and it is right that we give schools the time they need to prepare and embed the new standards, including phasing some changes in secondary schools.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about speeding up the timetable was not directly addressed.

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Q2 Jim Dickson Lab Dartford
Education
Context

The current school food served is still not as healthy as it should be, despite past efforts like Jamie Oliver's campaign against unhealthy options.

Question

I know that looking at me you would never guess that my children are now well past school age, but when they were at school—long past Jamie Oliver's campaign against turkey twizzlers—the school food served was still not as healthy as it should have been. Will the Government consider speeding up the timetable for updating school food standards to improve the health of young people sooner?

Answer from Olivia Bailey

Alongside developing new governance and compliance proposals, it is right that we give schools the time they need to prepare and embed the new standards. The consultation on our proposals closed just over a week ago and we will consider all responses carefully.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about speeding up the timetable was not directly addressed.

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Q3 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Education Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Ralph Allen school in Bath is leading the way in improving food standards with student initiatives such as a vegetable garden and offering vegan and vegetarian choices.

Question

How will the Department support schools in pupil-led improvements to their food? I recently visited Ralph Allen school in my constituency where students are leading the way in improving the standard of their food. They have created a vegetable bed in an empty space, and are now offering vegan and vegetarian choices. How will the Department support such initiatives?

Answer from Olivia Bailey

As part of our consultation, we have been listening to young people's voices and it is really important that our approach to food is embedded right the way across the school curriculum. Young people will continue to be at the forefront of our new school menus.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about supporting pupil-led initiatives was not directly addressed with concrete actions.

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