School Dinners 'At Risk' Following New Regulations

New premises regulations, which no longer require schools to have proper kitchens and canteens, will put school dinners at risk, say campaigners.

The facilities needed to cook and serve pupils' meals in English schools were spelled out in the old document but have been left out of the new one.

The government has said the changes simply remove unnecessary duplication but the Children's Food Trust says it is disappointed that the rules have been watered down.

The previous regulations demanded that schools provide buildings that "allow for the preparation or serving of food and drinks and the washing of crockery and other utensils".

They also said schools should consider providing "adequate facilities" such as cold storage for food that pupils bring to school.

The new premises rules make no mention of these requirements.

In their response earlier this year to a consultation on the new regulations, the CFT said: "In our view, the removal of these regulations could directly lead to the degradation of the school food service".

The response said that many existing school kitchens were outdated and poorly designed. It called for the 1999 regulations to be kept and expanded to include dining areas.

"If schools want pupils to be fit to learn, with an understanding of what it means to eat well, they need efficient kitchens, cooking fresh, healthy meals, and attractive dining areas where children want to spend their lunchtime," it said.

(H)