Member

Others have spoken to Amendment 190 on school food monitoring. Like many others, I welcome the update of school food standards, which is long overdue and a huge step forward. I also support Amendment 194, which would ensure that both school breakfasts and lunches are as nutritious as possible. I completely agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Boycott, and her point about bagels in particular and making sure that breakfasts are healthy, because it will be counterproductive if they are not. Standards are only worth while if they are monitored and enforced. Monitoring has been called for repeatedly by school nurses, medical groups and paediatricians. The Food Standards Agency ran a pilot in 2024, which showed that, if they were properly resourced, they could perform this function. There also needs to be a support mechanism for those school caterers who are not meeting the standards, in order to help them to do so. Monitoring is key for value for money. The Government spends over £2 billion a year on school food, and that is set to rise with free school meals expansion. We need to make sure that that money is spent properly on food that is nourishing for children.