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Banning junk food vending in schools is long overdue

02 March 2006

The National Heart Forum welcomes the School Food Trust's tough recommendations to Ministers that schools should stop selling confectionery, crisps and fizzy drinks to prevent childhood obesity spiraling out of control and improve children's overall health.

Paul Lincoln, chief executive of the National Heart Forum says: "These moves to cut sales of junk food in schools are long overdue and the National Heart Forum expects positive action from the government to implement these recommendations. Unlimited access to vending machines selling snacks with high, health damaging levels of salt, sugar and fat completely undermines any efforts to improve school meals. So we are particularly pleased that they have taken a 'whole school' approach."

We currently have the ridiculous situation where children have a healthy lunch, then can consume two chocolate bars, fizzy drinks and three bags of crisps in the afternoon break, via a heavily branded vending machine or tuck shop. These foods will fill them up, so undoubtedly replace healthier foods in their daily diet. Children could have healthier snack options of fruit, water, milk, yoghurt and fruit juices via the same vending machines and tuck shops.

There may be an outcry about reducing choice but the real choice issue is whether we want a healthier society for our children? The UK is only eight years behind the US in obesity and type 2 diabetes and this measure would be a major contribution to stopping England from getting to the same sorry state.

Education Secretary, Ruth Kelly, went on record in September 2005 at the Labour Party conference as saying she will ban junk food from English schools - in vending machines and meals - so this School Food Trust report gives her the opportunity and impetus to act.

Banning junk food in vending machines would support parents wanting to instill healthy eating in their children. Hard if schools give mixed messages.

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Notes to editors

The School Food Trust recommends the following standards:
  1. no confectionery should be sold in schools
  2. no bagged savoury snacks other than nuts and seeds (without added salt or  sugar) should be sold in schools
  3. a variety of fruit and vegetables should be available in all school food outlets. This could include fresh, dried, frozen, canned and juiced varieties
  4. children and young people must have easy access at all times to free, fresh,  preferably chilled, water in schools so that children do not have to visit the toilet  block to get water
  5. the only other drinks available should be bottled water (still or sparkling), skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, pure fruit juices, yoghurt and milk drinks (with less than 5% added sugar) or drinks made from a combination of these such as smoothies, tea or coffee
  6. every school should have an integrated whole school food and nutrition policy, preferably reflected in its single School Plan.