The Scottish Government

Every school lunch should contain a portion or portions of food from this group.

All schools served portions of food from this group daily. For variety, some had a 'potato of the day' ( e.g. roasted, mashed, baked on different days) and a 'bread of the day' ( e.g. pitta, brown, French, on different days). Other schools served a choice of different breads or potatoes every day.
In one school, the potato option one day was chips (with no alternative) and on another day the option was smiley faces (with no alternative).

A variety of extra bread, including brown and wholemeal, should be available daily as a meal accompaniment for all pupils, at no additional charge. Crusty bread, quarters of bread rolls and buns are popular and can be offered in baskets at the counter.
Garlic bread should be served a maximum of twice a week.
Bread can be provided in a variety of forms to replace fried products including naan, pitta and crusty bread.
The maximum sodium content of bread will be specified in the product specifications.

In many schools, a portion of free bread was offered daily with every meal. In several cases the bread was automatically put on the pupils' plate by catering staff, in others there was a basket of bread from which pupils could help themselves.
Garlic bread was usually served only once or twice a week.
While brown and wholemeal bread was available at times in most schools, it was rarely available at all times.
In one school, bread was not offered (except in sandwiches) during the fieldwork period. In another school, bread was only available on the two days when soup was served.

Rice and pasta should each be offered a minimum of once a week. Noodles should be offered where appropriate, e.g. with stir-fry or sweet and sour dishes.

In many schools, pasta is offered a minimum of twice a week and rice is offered once a week. Most schools served noodles at least occasionally ( e.g. once a month) with stir fry dishes.
Some schools served rice and pasta less often. In one school, rice was only served once a fortnight and in another, rice was only served once a month. In a third school, pasta or rice was served once a week, rather than both being offered a minimum of once a week.

The following products should be served a maximum of twice a week in primary (and ideally in secondary) schools: roasts, chips, smiley faces and other shaped products, e.g. Alphabites, croquettes and waffles.
Local Authority Purchasing Officers should be encouraged to buy chips with as low fat content as possible.
The maximum fat content of potato products will be specified in the product specifications. If possible, all potato products should be oven baked rather than fried.
Where a fried item is offered, a non-fried alternative should also be offered.

All schools served chips, roasts and shaped potato products a maximum of twice a week and several schools served them less often.
In some schools, however, there was not a non-fried alternative on days that fried potato dishes were served.

Every school lunch whether hot, cold, or a packed lunch should contain two portions of food from this group.
The menu as a whole should provide a choice of at least two vegetables and two fruits in addition to fruit juice every day and throughout the lunch service. At least one of these vegetables should be served free of added fat including salad dressings.

Many schools served a choice of at least two vegetables every day (often a hot vegetable option and salad) but some schools only had one vegetable on one or more days.
In all cases, at least one of the vegetables was served free of added fat and, in most cases; both the hot vegetable and the salad were free of added fat.
In most schools, at least two fruits were offered each day. In one school, fruit was not offered on days when soup was served.

Fruit and vegetable choices should be actively promoted and consideration given to providing vegetables inclusively in the price of every meal. They should also be served in an appealing and easy to eat way.
Vegetable-based soup should contain a minimum of one portion of vegetables per serving and can then count as one portion.
Maximum sodium content of soup will be specified in product specifications.
Baked beans should be served as a vegetable a maximum of twice a week. Canned spaghetti and similar products should not be served in place of a vegetable.
If beans or pulses form the protein part of a main course, a vegetable that is not beans or pulses should also be available.

In many schools, vegetables were included in the price of a main dish although pupils often refused them. In one school, with a cash cafeteria system rather than a set price for a meal, vegetables were 27 p per portion.
Salad vegetables and cold vegetables were often served in an appealing and easy to eat way ( e.g. cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, and packaged in little tubs or packets). In general, there was less evidence of hot vegetables being served in ways designed to appeal to pupils.
Most schools did not served baked beans in place of vegetables and no schools served baked beans as a vegetable more than twice a week.

Where there is choice, a dessert which provides at least one portion of fruit should be offered every day. Where there is no choice, a fruit-based dessert such as fresh fruit, fruit tinned in juice, fruit salads, fruit crumble, fruit jelly or fruit pie should appear on the menu a minimum of three times a week.
Pies, crumbles and other composite fruit dishes should contain a minimum of one portion of fruit per serving.

Most schools offered fresh fruit daily. Prepared packets of fruit ( e.g. grapes) were more popular than a mixed fruit basket.
One school served a fruit-based tart, crumble or jelly every day. In other schools, apart from fresh fruit, fruit-based desserts tended to be served less often.
In one school, fruit was only served on the two days that puddings were served (and sometimes in the packed lunches served on Fridays) and not on days when soup was served.

Most school lunches should contain a portion or portions of food from this group.

Almost all schools served milk to drink every day (see section below). Most also served yogurt daily. Other milk- based desserts were less common.

Plain or flavoured drinking milk should be available as an option every day. Semi-skimmed and skimmed milks have the same amount of calcium as whole milk and should be provided for drinking as well as for cooking.

In most schools, both plain and flavoured semi-skimmed milk was available every day. In one school, milk was an option at break time but not at lunchtime.

Cheese should be served as the main protein item instead of meat or fish a maximum of twice a week.
Cheese to be served as cheese and biscuits, as part of a salad or as a filling for sandwiches and baked potatoes should have as low a fat and sodium content as possible. The maximum fat and sodium content of cheese will be specified in the product specifications.
Vegetarian alternatives to cheese should be available a minimum of three times a week.
Where there is no choice, cheese as a sandwich filler should be offered a maximum of three times a week.

In all schools, cheese was served as the main protein item instead of meat or fish a maximum of twice a week. However, in most schools, there was the option to have cheese as the main protein item ( e.g. in pasta, in a sandwich, as a baked potato filling) more than three times a week - in several schools it would be possible to choose a cheese item daily.
In one school, a vegetarian alternative to cheese was served only twice a week in two weeks out of four (there was an alternative to cheese three times a week the other two weeks out of four).
In some schools, the canteen staff were not aware of any vegetarian pupils and on most days there was not a vegetarian alternative to cheese.

Every school lunch should contain a portion or portions of food from this group of protein.

All schools offered a portion or portions of food from this group every day.

Red meat (beef, pork and lamb) based meals should be served a minimum of twice a week.
Lean meat should be used in dishes containing meat and this will have a fat content of about 10%.
Caterers should take steps to reduce the fat content of their meat dishes as much as possible.
The maximum fat and sodium content of stews, casseroles, meatballs and curries will be specified in the product specifications.

Most schools served red meat at least twice or three times a week.

Processed meat products, i.e. hot dogs, frankfurters, sausages, beefburgers, meatballs, haggis and shaped poultry products( e.g. nuggets), pastry topped pies and other pastry products ( e.g. bridies, sausage rolls, Cornish pasties, Scotch Pies) should be served a maximum of once a week.
The vegetable content of composite dishes such as pies should be increased where possible. Potato-topped pies will have a lower fat content and should be encouraged in preference to pastry-topped pies.

Some schools served processed meat only once a week. However, in some schools processed meat was available twice or three times a week and in once school it was available every day as the 'snack option' ( e.g. chicken nuggets, sausage rolls, turkey drummers).
Some schools always served potato-topped pies rather than pastry-topped pies and most schools served potato-topped pies some of the time.

The maximum fat and sodium content of lasagne, moussaka, macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognese, tuna pasta bake, ravioli and other composite dishes will be specified in the product specifications. Vegetable content should be increased where possible.

It was not possible to ascertain the fat and sodium content of composite dishes within the parameters of this research.

Fish, in addition to tuna fish, should appear on the menu a minimum of once a week.
Oil-rich fish (sild, sardines, kippers, salmon, mackerel and herring) should be served once a week. Mackerel salads and pâtés are often popular.

Most schools served fish (other than tuna) once a week but rarely more often.
Many schools did not serve oily fish. Several had tried various dishes but found that they were very unpopular.

The maximum fat and sodium content of fish portions, fish fingers and shaped fish products will be specified in the product specifications. Any fish products that do not meet these specifications should be served a maximum of once a week.

At least one school did serve processed fish products more than once a week but it was not possible to ascertain whether they met the required specifications.

Maximum fat and sodium content for pizza will be specified in the product specifications and its frequency on the menu determined by its ultimate specification. Vegetable toppings should be encouraged and used wherever possible.

It was not possible to ascertain the fat and sodium content of pizza within the parameters of this research.
Some vegetable toppings were used but, in many schools, pizzas were predominantly cheese and tomato.

Vegetarian products resembling meat products, e.g. sausages and burgers made from textured vegetable protein ( TVP) should have similar protein content to meat products. Maximum fat and sodium content will be specified in the product specifications.

Vegetarian meat-substitutes were rarely used. Where they were, it was not possible to ascertain the protein, fat or sodium content.

Maximum fat and sodium content will be specified in the product specifications for stir-in sauces for bolognese, stews, curries and other ethnic dishes.

It was not possible to ascertain the fat and sodium content of these products within the parameters of this research.

The use of foods from this group should be limited. There should be no active promotion or advertising of full fat crisps, confectionery or fizzy, sugary soft drinks within the dining room.

See sections below.

Fizzy, sugary soft drinks should not be served as part of school lunch in primary schools and should not be encouraged in secondary schools. Carbonated water, plain water, milk and fruit juices are considered appropriate drinks. Flavoured waters are popular with children and low sugar versions are acceptable. We note the desirability to gradually wean Scottish children away from a predilection for sweet flavours. There is a popular movement amongst children to drinking plain water and this should be encouraged.

Almost all schools do not serve fizzy, sugar soft drinks as part of the school lunch and most offer plain water, flavoured water (generally with artificial sweeteners), milk, flavoured milk and fruit juice every day.
In general, there did not seem to be an attempt to encourage pupils to choose plain water over flavoured water, or plain milk over flavoured milk.

Where confectionery is still being sold, it should be set away from the food service points.
A working distinction is made between manufactured confectionery and home baking.

Most schools did not serve manufactured confectionery and offered home baking instead.

Where there is no choice, all desserts on offer should be fruit and/or milk-based (including yogurt). Caterers are, however, encouraged to review home-baking recipes to lower fats and sugars and include nutrient-rich, whole- food ingredients.

Most schools did provide a choice of desserts, which included yogurt and/or a fruit-based pudding.
Many cooks had reduced the sugar and fat content of home baking and used a mix of wholemeal and plain flour.

Only polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, spreads and oils and low fat spreads should be used.

It was not possible to analyse this within the parameters of this research.

Only polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, spreads and oils should be used.

It was not possible to analyse this within the parameters of this research.

Crisps should be offered as part of a combination meal option/meal deal or packed lunch a maximum of twice a week.
We believe that many pack sizes are too large and the fat content per 100g is excessive. The maximum pack size, fat and sodium content will be specified in the product specifications.

Two schools offered crisps every day (as part of the cold or snack meal option), one offered crisps once a week while several schools never served crisps.

Every school lunch should contain a portion or portions of food from this group.

All schools served a portion or portions of food from this group every day.
Several schools served a 'potato of the day' ( e.g. boiled, roasted, mash) and several served baked potatoes daily in addition.

A variety of extra bread, including brown and wholemeal, should be available daily as a meal accompaniment for all pupils, at no additional charge. Crusty bread, quarters of bread rolls and buns are popular and can be offered in baskets at the counter.
Garlic bread should be served a maximum of twice a week.
Bread can be provided in a variety of forms to replace fried products including naan, pitta and crusty bread.
The maximum sodium content of bread will be specified in the product specifications.

Most schools offered a variety of breads throughout the week, although in some schools only one or two bread choices might be available at any one time. Brown or wholemeal bread was not always available daily.
In at least one school, garlic bread was available every day in the course of one week.

Rice and pasta should each be offered a minimum of once a week. Noodles should be offered where appropriate, e.g. with stir-fry or sweet and sour dishes.

Most schools offered rice and pasta at least once a week, and more often in many cases. Some schools offered a pasta dish every day. Noodles were also served with stir fry dishes.

The following products should be served a maximum of twice a week in primary (and ideally in secondary) schools: roasts, chips, smiley faces and other shaped products, e.g. Alphabites, croquettes and waffles.
Local Authority Purchasing Officers should be encouraged to buy chips with as low fat content as possible.
The maximum fat content of potato products will be specified in the product specifications. If possible, all potato products should be oven baked rather than fried.
Where a fried item is offered, a non-fried alternative should also be offered.

Several schools served chips every day but several had introduced one, two or three 'chip free' days every week. In one school the 'chip free day' was deliberately not publicised in advance to prevent pupils choosing to go outside the school for lunch that day.
Several schools had reduced the size of a portion of chips.

Every school lunch whether hot, cold, or a packed lunch should contain two portions of food from this group.
The menu as a whole should provide a choice of at least two vegetables and two fruits in addition to fruit juice every day and throughout the lunch service. At least one of these vegetables should be served free of added fat including salad dressings.

Most schools offered at least one vegetable (often two) plus salad every day. There was often the option of a salad box as a 'main' meal choice plus the option to have a portion of salad, from a salad bowl, on the side.
Most schools also added small amounts of vegetables to main meals e.g. in pasta sauces and stir fries and included small amounts of salads in burgers and in sandwiches/wraps etc.
In at least one school, the salad was always served with a light dressing. In most cases, there was no added fat on either salad or on other vegetables.
All schools offered a choice of at least two fruits every day. However, much of the fruit was whole fruit from a fruit bowl and was not a popular choice. Many schools also served packets of grapes or melons which were much more popular.
Most, but not all, schools offered pure fruit juice (from concentrate) every day. In one school there was fruit flavoured water but no fruit juice and in another there was diluting juice from concentrate but no pure fruit juice.

Fruit and vegetable choices should be actively promoted and consideration given to providing vegetables inclusively in the price of every meal. They should also be served in an appealing and easy to eat way.
Vegetable-based soup should contain a minimum of one portion of vegetables per serving and can then count as one portion.
Maximum sodium content of soup will be specified in product specifications.
Baked beans should be served as a vegetable a maximum of twice a week. Canned spaghetti and similar products should not be served in place of a vegetable.
If beans or pulses form the protein part of a main course, a vegetable that is not beans or pulses should also be available.

In most cases vegetables or salad were served free with a main meal.
In several schools, homemade soup (often vegetable based) was served daily. In other schools, soup was served once or twice a week, and in others it was rarely served. Soup was not particularly popular in secondary schools.
In general, baked beans were served around once a week. They were never served in place of a vegetable and more than once a week.

Where there is choice, a dessert which provides at least one portion of fruit should be offered every day. Where there is no choice, a fruit-based dessert such as fresh fruit, fruit tinned in juice, fruit salads, fruit crumble, fruit jelly or fruit pie should appear on the menu a minimum of three times a week.
Pies, crumbles and other composite fruit dishes should contain a minimum of one portion of fruit per serving.

As noted above, fresh fruit was on offer daily in all schools. Fruit-based desserts were less common and some schools were rarely served in some schools.

Most school lunches should contain a portion or portions of food from this group.

All schools had at least a portion of milk or milk products available daily.
Yogurt was a popular dessert in many schools and was usually offered daily. In one school, however, there were very few on offer (usually around two on display) and yogurt did not seem popular.

Plain or flavoured drinking milk should be available as an option every day. Semi-skimmed and skimmed milks have the same amount of calcium as whole milk and should be provided for drinking as well as for cooking.

Most schools offered both plain and flavoured milk and it was usually semi-skimmed. Flavoured milk tended to be more popular than plain. Several schools provided plain and flavoured milk in cartons while in one school pupils dispensed their own milk from a dispenser and could add flavoured syrup (containing sugar) - most pupils did add the syrup.

Cheese should be served as the main protein item instead of meat or fish a maximum of twice a week.
Cheese to be served as cheese and biscuits, as part of a salad or as a filling for sandwiches and baked potatoes should have as low a fat and sodium content as possible. The maximum fat and sodium content of cheese will be specified in the product specifications.
Vegetarian alternatives to cheese should be available a minimum of three times a week.
Where there is no choice, cheese as a sandwich filler should be offered a maximum of three times a week.

All schools had meat or fish on offer almost every day and cheese would be served as the main protein item a maximum of once a week.
However, in most schools, pupils could choose cheese as the main protein item every day.
In two schools, macaroni cheese was on offer daily. In most schools, cheese based sandwiches/wraps etc. were on offer daily and in one school there were no non-cheese based sandwiches on offer during the fieldwork period. Cheese as a baked potato filling was on offer daily in some schools.
Several schools offered a vegetarian alternative to cheese less than three times a week. In one school, the vegetarian option was macaroni cheese on each day of fieldwork. In another, there were few vegetarian alternatives to cheese - tomato pasta was served about once a week and on other days the choice was macaroni cheese or cheese based sandwiches/wraps etc.

Every school lunch should contain a portion or portions of food from this group of protein.

All schools offered a portion or portions of food from this group every day.

Red meat (beef, pork and lamb) based meals should be served a minimum of twice a week.
Lean meat should be used in dishes containing meat and this will have a fat content of about 10%.
Caterers should take steps to reduce the fat content of their meat dishes as much as possible.
The maximum fat and sodium content of stews, casseroles, meatballs and curries will be specified in the product specifications.

All schools served red meat a minimum of twice a week and many served it at least three times.

Processed meat products, i.e. hot dogs, frankfurters, sausages, beefburgers, meatballs, haggis and shaped poultry products( e.g. nuggets), pastry topped pies and other pastry products ( e.g. bridies, sausage rolls, Cornish pasties, Scotch Pies) should be served a maximum of once a week.
The vegetable content of composite dishes such as pies should be increased where possible. Potato-topped pies will have a lower fat content and should be encouraged in preference to pastry-topped pies.

Most schools served processed meat products every day.
Many schools served pastry topped pies - some every day and some only once a fortnight or once a month. Most schools also served potato topped pies but generally less often than pastry topped pies.
In one school, a pastry topped steak pie was on offer every day for 1 week in 4, and no potato topped pies were served.

The maximum fat and sodium content of lasagne, moussaka, macaroni cheese, spaghetti bolognese, tuna pasta bake, ravioli and other composite dishes will be specified in the product specifications. Vegetable content should be increased where possible.

It was not possible to ascertain the fat or sodium content of composite meals within the parameters of this research.
In some schools, an effort was being made to increase the vegetable content of these dishes

Fish, in addition to tuna fish, should appear on the menu a minimum of once a week.
Oil-rich fish (sild, sardines, kippers, salmon, mackerel and herring) should be served once a week. Mackerel salads and pâtés are often popular.

Several schools offered fish (often breaded haddock) once a week but a number serve fish much less often. In one school, fish was offered once every 4 weeks and another school never serves fish.
Most schools never served oily fish.

The maximum fat and sodium content of fish portions, fish fingers and shaped fish products will be specified in the product specifications. Any fish products that do not meet these specifications should be served a maximum of once a week.

Fish products were rarely served. Where they were, it was not possible to ascertain the fat and sodium content.

Maximum fat and sodium content for pizza will be specified in the product specifications and its frequency on the menu determined by its ultimate specification. Vegetable toppings should be encouraged and used wherever possible.

Several schools served pizza every day and it was a popular choice. In most cases, this was cheese and tomato pizza with no other vegetables. One school served a pepperoni pizza.

Vegetarian products resembling meat products, e.g. sausages and burgers made from textured vegetable protein ( TVP) should have a similar protein content to meat products. Maximum fat and sodium content will be specified in the product specifications.

Vegetarian meat-substitutes were rarely used. Where they were, it was not possible to ascertain the protein, fat or sodium content within the parameters of this research.

Maximum fat and sodium content will be specified in the product specifications for stir-in sauces for bolognese, stews, curries and other ethnic dishes.

It was not possible to ascertain the fat and sodium content of these products within the parameters of this research.

The use of foods from this group should be limited. There should be no active promotion or advertising of full fat crisps, confectionery or fizzy, sugary soft drinks within the dining room.

Several schools still serve fizzy drinks at lunchtime, from vending machines and/or fridges. However, several others have stopped offering fizzy drinks at lunchtime.
The situation with crisps and confectionery was similar - some schools still offer both, while some have stopped offering them. However, in schools where no crisps or confectionery are sold, home baking is very popular.
Where crisps are still offered, a low fat option is often also on offer.

Fizzy, sugary soft drinks should not be served as part of school lunch in primary schools and should not be encouraged in secondary schools. Carbonated water, plain water, milk and fruit juices are considered appropriate drinks. Flavoured waters are popular with children and low sugar versions are acceptable. We note the desirability to gradually wean Scottish children away from a predilection for sweet flavours. There is a popular movement amongst children to drinking plain water and this should be encouraged.
Supplementary Guidance for Secondary Schools: We recognise that sweetened soft drinks will be available each day in some secondary schools. However, they should not be served as part of a combination meal or meal deal or packed lunch. These schools may find that a staged progression from sugary fizzy drinks to diet versions and the promotion of lower sugar squashes and flavoured waters is helpful.
The promotion of chilled bottled water as well as the adequate provision of freely available drinking water is considered very important

Most schools offered plain and flavoured milk (see section on milk above), plain and flavoured water, and pure fruit juice from concentrate. Several have stopped offering fizzy drinks but several still serve fizzy drinks (see previous section).
Flavoured versions of milk and water were often very popular and there was little evidence of pupils being encouraged to choose the plain version (perhaps because staff feel that flavoured milk or water is a better option than a fizzy drink).

Where confectionery is still being sold, it should be set away from the food service points.
A working distinction is made between manufactured confectionery and home baking.

Some schools had stopped serving confectionery in the dining hall (although in some cases it was still available from tuck shops and/or vending machines). In others, confectionery was sold at the snack bar and/or the main service points.

Where there is no choice, all desserts on offer should be fruit and/or milk-based (including yogurt). Caterers are, however, encouraged to review home-baking recipes to lower fats and sugars and include nutrient-rich, whole- food ingredients.

There was almost always a choice of dessert. All schools offered fresh fruit and most offered yogurt daily. Home baking was also popular. Some schools served 'traditional' puddings which were often fruit and/or milk based, but some rarely served them.
Several schools had adapted their home baking recipes and had, for example, increased the use of dried and fresh fruit, increased the use of wholemeal flour, and decreased the fat and sugar content.

Only polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, spreads and oils and low fat spreads should be used.

It was not possible to analyse this within the parameters of this research.

Only polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, spreads and oils should be used.

It was not possible to analyse this within the parameters of this research.

Crisps should be offered as part of a combination meal option/meal deal or packed lunch a maximum of twice a week.
We believe that many pack sizes are too large and the fat content per 100g is excessive. The maximum pack size, fat and sodium content will be specified in the product specifications.

Several schools sold crisps daily although many also offered lower fat varieties. In some places crisps were available from tuck shops or vending machines but not the main dining hall. Some schools had stopped offering crisps.