An investigation into the UK's largest school food event has sparked outrage among experts who found that over a third of participating suppliers offer products high in fat, sugar, or salt. The School Food People Show and Forum in Birmingham, billed as the nation's only event dedicated to school food, featured 52 out of 137 companies selling items such as hot dogs, pizza, muffins, and fizzy drinks.
Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, stated that the event's offerings perpetuate an "obesogenic environment." The exhibition serves as a platform for over 1,000 catering industry delegates to connect with suppliers and secure new contracts. The British Medical Journal's investigation noted that the main trade group for school food caterers, which organizes the show, receives sponsorship from companies selling pizzas, cakes, waffles, and ice cream.
According to the BMJ's findings, the show included seven wholesalers selling chocolate bars, crisps, and sweets, five ice cream companies, and four soft drinks companies. Other suppliers provided items like pizzas, cake mixes, and vending machines stocked with sweets. Specialist firms selling hot dogs and waffles were also present, alongside vendors offering cakes, cookies, and muffins.
Some soft drinks promoted as "school compliant" contained more than half of a child's daily recommended sugar allowance. These revelations coincide with the UK government's plans to implement new school food standards aimed at limiting junk food and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.
Marie Murphy, assistant professor of child and adolescent nutrition at the University of Birmingham, described the findings as "shocking" and contradictory to existing school food standards. D'Arcy Williams, chief executive of the youth activist food charity Bite Back, commented that the findings "expose a pretty extraordinary contradiction" at a time when efforts are being made to improve school meals.
Experts suggest that catering firms often rely on the higher profit margins of items like chocolate bars, muffins, and fizzy drinks to offset the costs of producing less popular but more nutritious meals. The proposed new standards, set to take effect in primary schools in September 2027 and secondary schools in September 2028, include a ban on deep-fried foods. Items such as pizza and sausage rolls will be limited to twice a week, with ice cream and cookies allowed only once a week. Desserts will be required to contain at least 50 percent fruit.
These changes represent the most significant overhaul of school menus since the 2013 School Food Plan. The investigation's findings come against a backdrop of rising childhood obesity rates in the UK. Figures from 2024 indicate that nearly 60 percent of an adult's daily diet in the UK consists of ultra-processed foods. More than one in five children in England are overweight or obese when they start primary school, a figure that rises to over a third by the time they leave.
Concerns have been raised about how the government will monitor compliance with the new rules, with some catering firms worried that students will opt for packed lunches over healthier school meals. Fell warned that failing to address these issues perpetuates an environment where childhood overweight and obesity become the norm, leading to future societal consequences.