UK Free School Meal Allowances Insufficient for Healthy Lunches, Study Finds
Research highlights challenges faced by students from lower-income backgrounds
A study presented at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO) found that free school meal (FSM) allowances in the UK are insufficient for students to buy healthy lunches.
The research involved 42 students aged 11 to 15 from seven UK schools, who documented their food purchases and experiences.
The FSM allowance ranged from £2.15 to £2.70, forcing students to opt for meal deals that were not necessarily the healthiest.
Students often felt pressured to make quick, less healthy choices due to limited break times.
Additionally, many schools lacked fresh fruits and vegetables, and students could not access their allowance before lunch, leaving them hungry in the morning.
Dr. Sundus Mahdi from the University of York emphasized the need to increase FSM allowances to enable students to buy more filling and nutritious meals.
The study also recommended updating school food standards to include two portions of vegetables with every meal.
Separate research by the Food Foundation indicated that healthy packed lunches are 45% more expensive than less nutritious ones, exacerbating the issue for parents.
The research involved 42 students aged 11 to 15 from seven UK schools, who documented their food purchases and experiences.
The FSM allowance ranged from £2.15 to £2.70, forcing students to opt for meal deals that were not necessarily the healthiest.
Students often felt pressured to make quick, less healthy choices due to limited break times.
Additionally, many schools lacked fresh fruits and vegetables, and students could not access their allowance before lunch, leaving them hungry in the morning.
Dr. Sundus Mahdi from the University of York emphasized the need to increase FSM allowances to enable students to buy more filling and nutritious meals.
The study also recommended updating school food standards to include two portions of vegetables with every meal.
Separate research by the Food Foundation indicated that healthy packed lunches are 45% more expensive than less nutritious ones, exacerbating the issue for parents.
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