Bradford School Has Restricted Unhealthy Foods and Banned Sugary Drinks in Packed Lunches
New healthy eating policies at Shirley Manor Primary Academy in Bradford have restricted desserts, cakes and biscuits in packed lunches, and sugary drinks such as squash, fizzy drinks and flavoured water are outright banned, for their contribution to tooth decay.
This is one of the first initiatives that has gone further than the nutritional requirements of school lunches and has extended restrictions to packed lunches, which the official policy encourages pupils show to staff before and after eating.
Also included on the banned list are pork pies, sausage rolls and pepperoni sticks, as they are processed foods high in salt and saturated fat.
The initiative, introduced at the start of the school term in September, has garnered praise from many parents, but has also led to criticism and disagreements. The most notable incident was the confiscation of a sausage roll from Steve Fryer, who criticised the policy as “ridiculous” and claimed it was difficult to work around the policy with children who are fussy eaters.
Heather Lacey, head teacher of Shirley Manor emphasised the importance of children eating well and growing up knowing the importance of a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle.
Squash, fizzy drinks and flavoured water, even those labelled as sugar free can contain acids and sugar substitutes that can also erode enamel and cause tooth decay.
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