To think banning fried eggs is a step too far?

Because parents won’t isn’t a reason schools should.

Are you in London?

I agree. Unfortunately, as a country, we don’t place enough of an emphasis on decent food. You only have to look at the mainstream media and social media; so many articles on cutting the weekly food shopping budget. Generations ago, a much bigger proportion of household income was spent on food than it is now. I appreciate that most families are stretched and don’t have spare money, but I’d cut down on pretty much everything else before I cut down on decent food. The food offering in state education and the NHS is dreadful; it’s all about doing it as cheaply as possible. I’m not even convinced it’s actually that cheap, as they use external providers who want a profit. They produce food to maximise their profit. We need to move back to proper in house kitchens preparing fresh food daily rather than buying it in.

Our (private) school menu this week consists of spaghetti carbonara with a choice of veg and salad, turkey curry with 2 veg, salmon with fries and 3 veg, a proper roast dinner with veg, beef fajitas with 2 veg, grilled chicken with veg and salad. Admittedly they don’t have the same budget constraints, but if the state system was funded properly (or waste cut down) there is no reason why they couldn’t prepare healthy food. It’s prepared in house, and there is no choice. There is 1 item on the menu (there is veggie option and I think there’s jacket option a couple of days a week), so everyone eats the same. That cuts down on waste. It was the same at primary. They see their friends eating it, so they eat it. There’s a proper dessert each day, and soup. There’s no packed lunch option. Water to drink.

5 meals a week will make a huge difference to those most at risk for who it is possibly their main meal of the day or, alternatively, their only meal or the only meal with whole grains and fruit/veg.

You underestimate the situation some children are in.

5 meals a week won’t make a blind bit of difference. And if you’re that concerned about kids, tackle the shit parenting at source rather than forcing schools to be proxy parents.

Meanwhile, out in the real world, children won't eat it. So those families that relied on the free school meals, which has just been extended to everyone on UC, will have to go to packed lunches. That'll mean, hungry kids and families in food poverty again. I can remember when Jamie Oliver changed things. No-one in my DD's SEN school had a hot meal because of it. Re fried eggs, this will now apply to other providers PGL etc, now it will just be scrambled, no big hardship. Children aren't suddenly going to eat something different. People can't afford what the Scandinavian's eat, or a lot of the suggestions on here. Posters aren't getting that families are also in fuel poverty. When you wake through the night because it's cold and then get up in a cold house, you don't want bloody Greek yoghurt, before you walk to school in the cold/rain.

Anyone else really fancy a couple of fried eggs, now?

But surely a fried egg is a decent breakfast option.
DS loves a mushroom omelette for breakfast, but on the days he goes to breakfast club, a fried egg and toast is what they give as an alternative to cereal.

Our borough is £3.20, which is enough, thanks to it being subsidised. But again, children are going to go hungry, because they won't want what's on offer.

Well fuck the kids then, they can all get fat and unhealthy. Why should anyone care about them?

But surely a fried egg is a decent breakfast option.
DS loves a mushroom omelette for breakfast, but on the days he goes to breakfast club, a fried egg and toast is what they give as an alternative to cereal.

Because parents won’t isn’t a reason schools should.

Also - if the government actually wanted to do something, it would raise the pitiful amount of £2.66 it pays for a free school meal. This becomes the default expected cost of a school lunch, no matter what it contains.

So I’ll believe it’s anything other than meaningless bollocks when we’re looking at £3+ a meal - and schools have to pay the NI increase on staff, many of whom are part time workers and were previously much cheaper to employ.

This is nonsense. Children aren’t tiny adults their bodies repair and heal better BUT they are enormously affected by diet because their physiological stage is entirely different from adulthood - it’s a stage of enormous energy requirement as well as maturation of immune systems, organs, lean mass, growth, brain development etc.

The most common form of malnutrition in the UK is micronutrient deficiencies - you can have obesity and be malnourished at the same time (double burden) by eating an unhealthy diet too high in calories, fats, sugar and salt and not high in Mns. Micronutrient deficiencies can lead to long and short term issues .

In the short term, it often shows up as tiredness, irritability, trouble concentrating, digestive issues, and more frequent infections because their immune systems rely heavily on steady nutrient intake.

Children have small stomachs and high nutritional needs, so even a few days of low‑quality food can noticeably affect their energy and behaviour.

Over months and years, consistently poor nutrition can lead to more serious conditions. These include obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, iron‑deficiency anaemia, vitamin D deficiency, and weakened bones. Growth can slow or falter, and learning can be affected because the developing brain is extremely sensitive to nutrient shortages. Emotional wellbeing can also suffer, with links to low mood and anxiety.

The risk is higher in childhood not lower - because this is a period of rapid growth, brain development, and immune maturation.

Because parents won’t. If parents did, schools wouldn’t have to.

It's to do with the heat.

It's all relative though and i wouldn't worry about it too much. In real terms, its not going to make much difference. Its only relevant wjen comparing egg cooking methods.

Microwaved scrambled eggs - still better than cereal.

Why can't they use butter instead of oil?

All i can think of are the eating disorders that will follow in a few years.
Some parents are over the top with healthy eating and now the schools.

I was always hungry as child because of this crap.

Oh my god are you serious? Do you know that obesity starts in the mind??? And can start with habits we form as children??

It’s really dangerous and hard to put a teenager on a diet due to the eating disorder risk, my main aim is to keep my 5 year old healthy so he doesn’t end up worry about weight in his teens and twenties etc.

I agree with this. At the end of the day, we are targeting children because they are there, and they are vulnerable. A secondary school child will be able to eat whatever the hell they want at uni, or at work. We don’t tell anyone else what they should be eating.

yes childhood is a great opportunity to educate and embed habits.

But the reality is children’s bodies are best able to tolerate an unhealthy diet anyway. An 8 year old won’t suffer from being overweight the way a 75 year old will. An 8 year old won’t get blocked arteries or fatty liver from their diet. You only have them under state control for a short amount of time, and it is very unlikely to hold the sort of influence posters like to think it does