An investigation by the British Medical Journal has revealed that over a third of vendors at the School Food People Show and Forum in Birmingham promoted unhealthy foods. The findings highlight a significant clash between commercial interests and upcoming government health standards for UK students.
52 of 137 vendors pushing HFSS products
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) investigation found that 52 out of 137 companies exhibiting at the School Food People Show and Forum were selling items high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS). These products included hot dogs, pizza, muffins, and fizzy drinks,which were showcased to over 1,000 catering industry delegates. According to the BMJ, the main trade group organizing the event is even sponsored by firms that supply waffles, ice cream, cakes, and pizzas.
The report notes a particularly concerning trend where some soft drinks were marketed as "school compliant" despite containing more than half of a child's daily sugar allowance. Marie Murphy, an assistant professor of child and adolescent nutrition at the University of Birmingham,described these findings as shocking and in direct opposition to established school food standards.
High profit margins on muffins and fizzy drinks
The persistence of junk food in school environments is driven largely by economics. experts noted that items such as fizzy drinks, muffins, and chocolate bars offer some of the highest profit margins for catering firms. These high-margin snacks essentially subsidize the cost of nutritious plated meals, which are more expensive to produce and often less popular with students.
Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health and director of public health for Sheffield City Council, warned that this commercial model is perpetuating an "obesogenic environment." D'Arcy Williams, chief executive of the youth activist food charity Bite Back , argued that this creates an extraordinary contradiction just as the UK attempts to raise the bar on nutritional quality in schools.
The 2027 and 2028 ban on deep-fried foods
The industry's current offerings stand in stark contrast to upcoming government mandates. New school food standards are set to take effect in primary schools by September 2027 and secondary schools by September 2028. these rules will completely ban deep-fried foods and limit the service of sausage rolls and pizza to twice a week . ice cream and cookies will be restricted to once a week, and all desserts must consist of at least 50 per cent fruit.
As reported by the BMJ, these changes represent the most significant overhaul of canteen menus since the 2013 School Food Plan, which was introduced by John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby, the co-founders of Leon. Current rules are far more lenient, allowing up to two portions of deep-fried food per week.
One in three children leaving primary school overweight
The urgency of these reforms is underscored by a growing public health crisis. Data indicates that more than one in five children in England are overweight or obese when starting primary school, a figure that climbs to over one-third by the time they graduate. Furthermore, tooth decay remains the primary reason for hospital admissions among children aged five to nine .
The broader dietary landscape in the UK is equally concerning. Figures published in the British Medical Journal in 2024 show that nearly 60 per cent of an adult's daily diet consists of ultra-processed food. This environment, combined with sedentary lifestyles and easy access to fast food, has created a cycle of illness that Greg Fell warns society will pay for over the next several decades.
How the Government will monitor school compliance
Despite the ambitious timeline for the 2027 and 2028 rollouts, a critical piece of the puzzle remains missing: the Government has not yet confirmed the mechanism for monitoring whether schools actually comply with the new rules. This lack of a clear enforcement strategy leaves room for the same commercial pressures seen at the Birmingham show to persist in local canteens.
Additionally, catering firms have expressed concern that students will simply reject healthier options in favor of packed lunches filled with the very snacks the government is trying to eliminate. Whether the new standards can shift student preference or will simply drive junk food consumption underground remains an open question.
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