A new set of government guidelines on school meal provision came into force today - Monday - with the aim of reducing the incidence of child obesity by driving out junk food, and substituting it for healthier alternatives.
An integral part of the plan sees fruit, vegetables, and fish encouraged at the expense of burgers, chicken nuggets, crisps and sweets.
The government wants pupils to be given a minimum of two portions of fruit and vegetables a day, helping them towards their minimum recommended requirement of five portions.
Other measures include the removal of salt cellars from table tops while ketchup and mayonnaise will only be offered in sachets, not bottles.
Education secretary Alan Johnson expects the new rules to have a profound effect. "Tackling obesity and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is not just about the food that children eat at school, we must also teach them the skills they need to cook so that they continue to eat healthily in later life," he said.
He told BBC radio previous attempts to offer healthy options alongside twizzlers and burgers had not worked because pupils tended to go for the fatty, salt-ridden option. "Getting rid of mechanically recovered meat is something that should have been done a long time ago," he added.
The move to promote healthy eating was welcomed by Chris Keates, General Secretary of NASUWT, the largest union representing teachers and headteachers.
"The link between diet and pupils' behaviour and educational progress is undeniable," he said. "Schools will, therefore, welcome the extension of the transitional funding to improve the ingredients of school meals."
Johnson said he wants schoolchildren to acquire basic cooking skills from 2008. Although nearly all schools offer subjects like food technology, these classes do not invariably mean students actually cook anything.
"We want to ensure that cooking returns to the curriculum," he added.
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