Pupils are not eating healthy

4 months ago 07th Jul 12:10

This was not simply about children preferring junk food, say the researchers.

An important factor was a lack of convenience in eating in school canteens - which could be overcrowded, uncomfortable and likely to take up too much of pupils' free time, say the researchers.

The study found that local shops were more entrepreneurial about meeting this demand - offering cut-price child-size portions and getting in extra staff so that children could be served quickly.

But this meant that rather than eating the healthy options in the school canteen pupils were more likely to be eating the type of junk food, both hot and cold, which would have too much fat, sugar and salt.

A £1 portion of chicken and chips, of the type sold near to school, had more than half the fat intake for a child for a whole day. A single serving of a popular cold drink had more sugar than a teenage girls should have in an entire day.

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