Schools should have one meat-free day each week to tackle climate change and obesity, charity says

Schools should have a weekly meat-free day, a charity said
PA Archive/PA Images
Megan White17 May 2019

All schools should have a weekly meat-free day to help tackle climate change and obesity, a leading charity has said.

The Soil Association is calling for the government to update “weak” school meal rules and bring in a mandatory “plant-based protein day” each week.

Currently regulation recommends a weekly meat-free day, but it is not mandatory.

The charity says when it does take place, options are often restricted to less healthy options like cheese-laden pasta or pizza.

File photo: The charity wants more beans, pulses, and plant-based proteins served in schools
Dan Gold/Unsplash

The Department for Education is now reviewing their School Food Standards and the Soil Association is pushing for its recommendation to be implemented.

Rob Percival, Head of Policy for Food & Health at the Soil Association, said: “The updated School Food Standards should require that all schools serve a plant-based protein day each week.

“The current, non-compulsory advice for a meat-free day is too weak. We know children would benefit nutritionally from eating more beans, pulses, and plant-based proteins and the climate would also benefit – we should all be eating less and better meat.

“Leading Food for Life schools are already showing that it is possible to serve children healthy plant-based meals, with the cost saving used to ‘trade-up’ to higher-welfare and more sustainable meat for the rest of the week.

“It’s time the government caught up.”

Park Community School in Havant, Hampshire, holds a Gold award with Food for Life, the Soil Association’s scheme to improve school meals.

Pupils raise and eat their own pigs and the menu often includes up to two meat free days per week.

Steven Cross, head chef at Park Community School and 2019 School Chef of the Year winner, said: “We know that we all need to eat less meat if we are going to face climate change - and that is going to need to start in schools so I think we do need a meat free day.

“Pulses like lentils and chick peas are very cheap and you can get a lot out of them, and using more of these ingredients plus fruit and vegetables we can afford higher quality meat the rest of the time.

“It’s about being clever with your ingredients and cooking to get the most out of a variety of healthy ingredients.

“We live by the field to fork approach – we want the children to have a good understanding of where their food comes and educate them into eating things that are healthier and more sustainable.”

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