Scottish schools to ban the sale of sweets and fizzy drinks

Sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks will be banned for sale in Scottish schools next year, the Scottish government has announced.

It said sweets and fizzy drinks should be removed from canteens and vending machines in schools and deep-fried food limited to three items on the menu each week.

Schools will also be required to serve pupils two portions of fruit and vegetables every lunchtime and to make available oily fish once every three weeks.

The new rules will be written in to legislation via the School (Health and Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 and come into force next August.

Minister for Children Adam Ingram said: "Putting healthy options on a plate for pupils every day will develop their taste for the food that's good for them and stop unhealthy habits from taking hold".

Despite the restrictions in school children will not be barred from bringing fizzy drinks and sweets in from home.

Recently published figures from Scotland's Information Services Division that by 2003 the number of boys aged seven to 11 classified as obese had hit 19.8% up from 15.4% in 1998. Among girls the increase was from 13.9% to 14.9% during the same period and the picture is similar grim at secondary level.

In England the adoption of similar food-based guidelines as an interim step has seen school meal uptake collapse with secondary worse hit.

At the start of term this September, fizzy drinks and confection were banned from vending machines and cakes removed from sale at breaktime in English schools.

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By Chris Druce

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