This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Junk food shown the school door
03/05/2006
Junk food is set to be kicked out of Scottish schools as part of the drive to turn around the health of the nation.
Plans to build on Scotland's success in improving school meals were published today in a consultation paper - Improving the Health and Nutrition of Scotland 's Children.
The next steps to help youngsters develop healthy eating habits include:
- Introducing new powers for councils to provide nutritious snacks
- Ensuring that all food and drinks provided by schools meet tough nutritional standards
- Offering parents advice on healthy packed lunches
- Placing a duty on councils to promote uptake of free school meals for poorest families.
All schools will also be under a duty to become health promoting environments to make health promotion a central purpose of schooling.
Education Minister Peter Peacock said:
"Scottish school meals have been transformed. This is already having a positive effect on the health of our young people. But we want to go further. Our plans build on the success already seen and will make sure that every pupil gets the nutritious food they need to succeed throughout the school day.
"By ensuring that all food and drink in schools is healthy and nutritious, we are making it even easier for children to stick to the healthy options and to enjoy the long-term health benefits that come with that.
"We also want to ensure that those young people from the poorest backgrounds get more help. Too many young people entitled to a free meal don't take one today and the new duty on councils to promote uptake, together with new powers to provide free snacks, means we can target more help to those most in need."
Health Minister Andy Kerr added:
"We are making good progress and these measures are another part of our plan of action for health improvement.
"We are improving diet for children and adults by working in schools and across communities, taking steps to increase physical activity, and making the right changes in the health services to help those most at risk of ill-health.
"Making the healthy choice the easy choice is at the centre of this. We need to create the right environment for people to make a change and make a difference to their health."
The First Minister announced the intention to consult in the legislative statement in 2005. This consultation will run until July 31, 2006. The Bill will be ready for presentation to Parliament in Autumn 2006.