The food industry is too involved in the UK’s education system, according to experts in a new report from The British Medical Journal (BMJ). McDonald’s, Greggs, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mars, Kellogg’s, and Nestle are just a few of the major brands that currently help to fund school meals across the country.
In involvement that is “subtle yet problematic,” according to May van Schalkwyk at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, fast-food and ultra-processed food companies are currently helping to supply breakfasts to thousands of children across the country, as well as getting involved with nutritional guidance.
For example, the British Nutrition Foundation, an organization that works with schools and aims to “instill a culture of healthy eating and food literacy in children and young people,” is funded by corporations like McDonald’s, Subway UK & Ireland, Nestlé UK, and PepsiCo UK.
Despite this involvement, the British Nutrition Foundation does not advocate for the consumption of fast food. Initiatives like Healthy Eating Week, for example, encourage people to get their five-a-day and eat more fiber. However, The Soil Association, a British nonprofit that advocates for healthy, sustainable eating habits, is suspicious of the foundation’s involvement with some of the world’s biggest food companies.
“An organization sponsored by McDonald’s, Mars, and Nestle shouldn’t be within 100 miles of children’s food education,” Rob Percival, the head of food policy at The Soil Association, said in a statement. “They’re positioning themselves as part of the solution by getting behind and sponsoring this food education program.”
Other school-focused initiatives that rely heavily on funding from the fast-food industry include The Magic Breakfast Club, which has received nearly £6 million from Kellogg’s, and the Greggs Foundation. The latter—which was founded by the fast-food bakery chain Greggs—runs hundreds of breakfast clubs in schools across the UK. However, according to a spokesperson from the foundation, Greggs has no input on the content of the breakfasts that are served to children.
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The UK government focuses on children’s health and nutrition
Right now, the UK government is particularly focused on nutrition. For example, earlier this year, it announced that junk food advertising from companies promoting fast food and ultra-processed foods would either be banned completely or restricted until after 9 pm to protect children. According to Health Minister Andrew Gwynne, the new rules are part of a larger project to do more to prevent diet-related diseases and fix “the broken NHS [National Health Service].”
Malnourishment among children is an increasing problem in the UK. Earlier this year, one report from The Food Foundation revealed that British children are getting shorter due to a lack of nutrition.
In response to the report, Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef and long-time advocate for children’s health and nutrition, said: “Decades of government neglect has meant kids are suffering from more obesity-related illnesses, leading to average heights shrinking and living shorter lives. They’re not being given the chance to be happy, healthy people, and they deserve so much more than that.”
In 2020, research from Direct Line Life Insurance revealed that more than 75 percent of UK children eat fast food at least once every week. It also reported that 97 percent of general practitioners in the UK would support a ban on the sale of fast food to children to protect their health.
Some experts believe that because fast-food companies contribute to children’s poor nutrition, they should also fund initiatives like breakfast clubs and the British Nutrition Foundation to improve their health.
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Greg Fell, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, disagrees. He said in a statement in the BMJ’s new report: “There is a wealth of evidence to suggest that by being involved in school programs, harmful products are normalized. The evidence about the risks of harm is also often distorted and instead, blame is shifted to individual choice and personal responsibility.”
Schools want to move away from meat-heavy meals
Many schools do take children’s nutrition seriously. Earlier this year, The Soil Association reported that 70 percent of primary schools in the Yorkshire city of Sheffield had committed to serving pupils healthy and sustainable food. It reported that more than 100 schools in the area had committed to teaching children about growing, cooking, and farming healthy foods through the association’s Food For Life program, which aims to “instill good food culture.”
In the West Midlands city of Birmingham, Stanville Primary School has even started serving a vegetarian menu for health and sustainability reasons. The move prompted criticism from some parents, but the city council—who approved the decision—says the response has been largely positive. “Not only has the menu resulted in an increase in take-up of schools meals, there has been a reduction in waste and a greater number of children coming back for seconds,” a spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
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Right now, government guidance states that schools must serve meat for at least three days a week. This is despite the fact that an abundance of evidence suggests that diets that are low in meat—like the Mediterranean diet, for example—are the best for our health.
Red meat and processed meat consumption, in particular, is associated with a higher risk of diseases like colorectal cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Sustainable business entrepreneur and Labour Party financial backer Dale Vince believes that government guidance around meat in schools should change.
“There are schools which want to go further. They don’t want meat and dairy on the menu perhaps every day of the week or even at all,” he said during a Labour Party conference, per BBC. “But it is the law of the land. I am hoping to have a conversation with the new government to encourage them to change the law.” He added: “We shouldn’t be forcing these unhealthy products on to our kids.”
According to the new BMJ report, the government is planning to get more involved with children’s nutrition by introducing free breakfast clubs in schools across the country. As a result, this would reduce the need for food industry involvement. Despite this, companies like Greggs and Kellogg’s have stated that they still plan to be involved in the education system through secondary schools and by supplying secondary grants to primary schools.
However, due to government involvement, the role of food companies in UK schools will undeniably be forced to change. A government spokesperson said: “We will fix the NHS and create the healthiest generation of children in our history by shifting our focus from treatment to prevention.”
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
