The summary of the nutrition standards for school lunches (2007-2008) is as follows: 

Group 1: Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods, e.g. noodles and cereals.

• Every lunch service must contain a portion or portions of food from this group.
• Rice and pasta must be offered at least once a week. In a single-choice menu, rice or pasta must be served at least once a week.
• Bread should be available daily in all schools.
• Also, see additional requirements on fried foods – see Group 5a.

Group 2: Fruit and vegetables. This group includes fresh, frozen, canned and dried varieties, and fruit juices.

• Not less than two portions of fruit and vegetables should be available per child throughout the lunch service.
• Of these, at least one portion should be vegetables or salad and at least one portion should be fruit (fresh, tinned in juice, fruit salad, fruit juice or dried fruit).
• Pies, crumbles and other composite fruit dishes must contain at least one portion of fruit per serving.
• Pies, casseroles, stews and other composite main course dishes must contain a minimum of half a portion of vegetables per serving, in addition to a separate serving of vegetables or salad.
• In nursery and primary schools, a fruit-based dessert such as fruit tinned in natural juice, fruit salads, fruit crumble, fruit fool or fruit pie must be offered at least three times a week.
• Baked beans must not be served as a vegetable more than once a week in primary schools. Baked beans must not be the only vegetable option on any day in secondary schools.
• If beans or pulses form the protein part of a main course, another vegetable must be available.

Group 3: Milk and dairy foods. This group includes milk, cheese, yoghurt and milk puddings.

Standards:

• Every lunch service must contain a portion or portions of food from this group.
• In addition, milk must be available as an option every day.
• Cheese must not be served as the only vegetarian option more than twice a week.
• In non-vegetarian dishes, cheese may be used as a topping more frequently.

Group 4: Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein. This group includes beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, eggs and pulses, e.g. peas, beans and lentils.

• Every lunch service must contain a portion or portions of food from this group.
• Meals containing red meat must be served:

• a minimum of twice a week and a maximum of three times a week in nursery and primary schools; and
• a minimum of three times a week and a maximum of four times a week in secondary schools.

• Fish should be available at least once a week in primary schools and at least twice a week in secondary schools.
• Oily fish should be available at least once every four weeks. 

Group 5a: Fried and other high-fat foods. This group includes cooking fats and oils, oily salad dressings, mayonnaise, salad cream, crisps, cream and pastry.

• Deep-fried foods or other high-fat products, such as chips, roast potatoes, other fried potatoes, garlic bread or meal choices containing pastry (such as quiche, apple pie and vol-au-vent) may be served a maximum of twice a week.
• In addition, whole muscle or fillet of fish coated in breadcrumbs can be served once a week.
• Meat or chicken products (such as burgers, sausages, chicken nuggets, etc.) may be served a maximum of once a week in primary schools and a maximum of twice a week in secondary schools.
• To allow choice for pupils on the days when meat or chicken products are available, schools should aim for 50 percent healthy meal options, and they should be presented and marketed in a competitive way to other meal options. This standard does not apply to single-choice menus.
• There should be at least two days each week without any meat or chicken products, fried foods, foods cooked in batter, breadcrumbs or foods containing pastry (e.g. fish in breadcrumbs, chips, sausages, vol-au-vent, quiche, apple pie, etc.). This is to encourage children to try a greater range of foods in their diets and explore new taste experiences.
• When a high-fat starchy food is served, such as chips or garlic bread, an alternative without added fat must be available.
• Lower-fat desserts must be available on days when deep-fried foods and other high-fat foods are offered.
• The only savoury snacks available should be nuts and seeds with no added salt or sugar. Savoury crackers or breadsticks may be offered provided they are served with fruit or vegetables or a dairy food.

Group 5b: Confectionery and other sweet foods: sugar, sweet pastry, chocolate, sweets, sweetened soft drinks, puddings, cakes, biscuits, jam, jelly, and ice cream.

• Confectionery, chocolate and chocolate-coated products should not be available throughout lunchtime.
• Cakes and biscuits can only be provided at lunchtime and as part of a meal.
• Cakes, biscuits and puddings made with cocoa powder should only be available a maximum of two days per week.
• High-fat and or high-sugar toppings used for decoration, for example, cream, buttercream and icing sugar, should be kept to a minimum and only used if essential, e.g. to set fruit on top of a sponge. If used, an undecorated or healthier dessert should also be available.

Other requirements

Drinks

The only drinks available should be:

• plain water (still or sparkling);
• milk;
• unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices;
• yoghurt or milk drinks (with less than 5 percent added sugar); and
• drinks made from combinations of the above (e.g. smoothies).

These drinks are not suitable for nursery schools (but available for older students):

• low-calorie hot chocolate
• tea
• coffee

Combination drinks must contain at least 50 percent of milk, yoghurt or fruit juice as appropriate.

Artificial sweeteners are only permitted in combination drinks. Low-calorie hot chocolate is defined as 20Kcals/100ml. Drinking water, i.e. tap water, must be provided for free every day.

Salt and condiments

• Table salt should not be available in nursery or primary schools. It should not be on view in the school canteen from secondary schools but may be made available on request from the service counter.
• Condiments (tomato ketchup, brown sauce, salad cream, relishes, etc.) should only be provided from the service counter and should be controlled by the kitchen staff.

The Nutritional standards for other food and drinks in schools (2008) are as follows:

Standard 1: No confectionery should be sold in schools

Confectionery includes:

• Chocolate and chocolate products for example bars of milk, plain or white
• chocolate, chocolate flakes, buttons or chocolate-filled eggs.
• Fresh or dried fruit that has been sugared or coated in yoghurt or chocolate.
• Chocolate-coated bars.
• Ice cream (except at lunchtime as part of a meal).
• Chocolate ice and other chocolate-coated ice cream.
• Chocolate-coated or flavoured biscuits.
• Sweets, for example, boiled, chewy, gum, liquorice and mint. Also sherbet, fudge, marshmallows, toffee and chewing gum. This includes sugar-free sweets and chewing gum.
• Cereal chewy bars, cereal crunchy bars, cereal cake bars and processed fruit bars.

Standard 2: No cakes and biscuits

Cakes and biscuits must not be provided (except at lunchtime and as part of a meal).

Cakes include:

• Manufactured, bought in products and home-made tray bakes, cakes, biscuits and buns made in the school kitchen.
• Sponge cakes, maderia cake, swiss roll, fruit cake, banana loaf, apple cake, carrot cake, gateaux and American muffins.
• Pastries, for example, croissants, Danish, jam tarts and mince pies.

Biscuits include:

• All types of sweet varieties eg Rich tea, digestive, ginger nuts, flapjacks, shortbread and wafers.

Savoury crackers and breadsticks can be provided but must be served with fruit or vegetables or dairy food for example cheese.

Standard 3

No savoury snacks other than nuts* and seeds (without added salt or sugar) should be sold.

*Be aware of nut allergies. It will be for individual schools to decide on whether or not to provide nuts.

Savoury snacks include:

• Crisps or ‘crisp like’ products eg potato, corn and cereal snacks.
• Nuts, seeds, fruit or vegetables with added salt, sugar or fat e.g. salted nuts, honey
• roasted nuts and fruit coated in sugar, chocolate or yoghurt.

Standard 4

A variety of fruits and vegetables should be available in all school food outlets. This could include fresh, frozen, tinned, dried* and juiced products.

Fruits and vegetables can include:

• All varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Fresh fruit salad.
• Fruit tinned in natural juice.
• Unsweetened fruit juice (100% fruit juice)
• Baked beans.
• Salad vegetables.
• Vegetable sticks.

* Remember dried fruit has a higher concentration of sugars. Therefore, in terms of dental health, it is not suitable as a snack between meals. It is best taken as part of a meal, for example, breakfast.

Standard 5

Children and young people must have easy access at all times to free, fresh, preferably chilled water and should not depend on going to the lavatory to get water.

Standard 6

The only drinks available should be:

• Plain water (still or sparkling)
• Milk
• Unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices
• Yoghurt or milk drinks (with less than 5% added sugar)
• Drinks made from combinations of the above (eg smoothies)

 Drinks that are not suitable for the nursery sector:

• Low-calorie hot chocolate
• tea
• Coffee  

-  Combination drinks must contain at least 50% of the milk, yoghurt or fruit juice as appropriate.

-  Artificial sweeteners are only permitted in combination drinks.

-  Low-calorie hot chocolate is defined as 20 Kcals/100mls.

Standard 7

This Standard must be applied in three parts:

• Foods high in fat or deep-fried foods are restricted across the whole school day and should not be offered in total more than twice a week.
• Meat or chicken products are restricted across the whole school day and should only be offered a maximum of once a week in primary schools and a maximum of twice a week in secondary schools.
• There should be at least 2 days each week without any fried foods, foods high in fat and meat or chicken products.

Foods high in fat or deep-fried include:

• Any food that is deep fried either in the kitchen or in the manufacturing process even flash fried foods or foods brushed or sprayed with oil.
• Chips, roast potatoes, other fried potatoes, oven chips, potato waffles and potato shapes.
• Garlic bread.
• Pastry dishes eg quiche, meat pies, fruit pies and vol-au-vents.
• Fried fish products.

Meat and chicken products include:

• Burgers.
• Sausages, sausage meat and sausage products.
• Any shaped or coated meat product e.g. chicken nuggets, escalopes and goujons.

It is expected that foods covered by this standard will mainly be served at lunchtime. However, if they are to be served at other times eg breakfast or break time the standard must be applied across the entire school week. For further guidance please see Group 5a Nutritional Standards for School Lunches.

Standard 8

Food choices or meals containing red meat must be served a minimum of twice a week and a maximum of three times a week in nursery and primary schools and a minimum of three times a week and a maximum of four times a week in secondary schools. This standard applies across the whole school week.

• Red meat includes beef, pork and lamb and meals made from them.
• Red meat in sandwiches or paninis is not restricted by this standard. Bacon is classed as red meat and should only be served as part of a main meal, for example, breakfast or lunch. Bacon will be required to comply with the standard for red meat. This is because of its high fat and salt content.