What does the election hold for School Food?
24 Apr 2015
See a summary of what the different manifestos say about School Food and child health and wellbeing:
Conservative:
- Take action to reduce childhood obesity and continue to promote clear food information.
- Continue with the existing UIFSM policy.
Labour:
- Set maximum permitted levels of sugar, salt and fat in foods marketed substantially to children.
- Introduce a legal guarantee for parents of primary school children to access wraparound childcare from 8am to 6pm through their local primary school.
Lib Dem:
- Extend free school meals to all primary school children.
- Introduce stricter marketing and advertising rules for junk foods.
- Further invest in Defra’s Food Plan for Public sector procurement.
Green Party:
- Extend VAT at standard rate to unhealthy food, and use proceeds to subsidise fresh fruit and veg by 1/3.
- Extend free ‘nutritious’ meals, (with GM free and local ingredients) to all school children.
- Introduce a Hospital Food Plan.
UKIP:
- Place a statutory duty on all primary schools to offer before and after-school care from 8am to 6pm during term time, with the option to extend this to all-day provision throughout the school holidays. These sessions will include breakfast and healthy snacks.
SNP
- Expand current free school meal provision and look to work with local authorities to identify future steps to improve support for low income families to help meet the costs associated with school.
- Offer 30 hours a week free nursery education for all 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds.
- Make a long term commitment to tackling overweight and obesity.
Plaid Cymru
- Plaid Cymru supports a tax on sugary drinks and will work with manufacturers to reduce sugar in food and drink.