Exclusive: Ministers are set to unveil a package of measures with food and farming ‘at the heart of learning’, to give young people the information they need to live healthier livesThe new School Food Standards proposals include plans for every school to appoint a lead governor responsible for food and to publish their food policies and menus onlineSchools will be told to publish their menus online so parents know exactly what is on their children’s plate.Ministers are set to unveil a package of measures with food and farming “at the heart of learning”, to give young people the information they need to live healthier lives.The new School Food Standards proposals include plans for every school to appoint a lead governor responsible for food and to publish their food policies and menus online.Under the proposals, cooking and nutrition will be part of the core curriculum, taught up to the end of Key Stage 3, with cooking taught from primary school and food given its own dedicated strand in the design and technology subject.OPINIONSchools will be told to publish menus online(Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)Young people will also learn where their food comes from, to teach kids about the role farmers play in putting healthy food on the table. Pupils will learn mainly how to make savoury dishes so they can feed themselves and others affordably and healthily.The measures form part of the government’s response to Minette Batters’ Farming Profitability Review, expected to be published this week.It comes with half of parents saying they don’t know enough about what their child eats at school.Earlier this year the Government unveiled a major overhaul of school dinners, including bans on certain foods. The strict changes are part of a sweeping standards overhaul aimed at tackling childhood obesity and tooth decay.Deep-fried food will be banned from school menus, and sugary treats will be limited. Desserts like ice cream and waffles, and baked goods such as puddings and cakes, are also set to be served only once a week and must contain at least 50% fruit.Ministers previously unveiled a 25-Year Farming Roadmap, the government’s long-term plan to balance domestic food security, farm profitability, and environmental sustainability, backed by a record £11.8 billion investment.Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “When children understand where their food comes from, lifelong healthy habits are formed – and parents having more transparency over school meals means families are put back in the picture.“These measures will inspire healthy choices at school and home, while showing food, farming, and the countryside as an exciting, rewarding career for the next generation.”
