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What do the new governmental guidelines mean?

From September 2008 the Government have announced new standards for school food in all local authority maintained primary, secondary, special and boarding schools, and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) in England. The new standards cover all food sold or served in schools:

breakfast, lunch and after-school meals;
tuck, vending, mid-morning break and after-school clubs.

What does this mean for potatoes?

Potatoes fit under the food group ‘starchy foods’, which includes all types of bread, pasta, noodles, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, millet and cornmeal.
A type of bread with no added fat or oil, and another food e. g. baked, mash or boiled potatoes from the starchy group must be provided every day.
A food out of the starchy group cooked in fat or oil must not be provided on more than three days in a week e. g. roast potatoes.
On each day when a food in the “starchy group” cooked in fat or oil is provided, a food from that group (other than bread) not so cooked must also be provided.
No more than two portions each week may consist of food which has been deep-fried in the cooking or manufacturing process e. g. chips.

That means:

Schools can put butter on jacket potatoes:

Butter in permitted on jacket potatoes. This does not count as a starchy food cooked in fat or in oil as the butter is added after the cooking process. It is good practice to restrict the amount of butter added to the jacket potato.

Schools can serve chips:

Deep-fried foods (e.g. chips) can be served up to twice a week across the school day.

Guidance for the new standards for primary and secondary schools can be found on the School Food Trust’s website at www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk

Free school meal plan for all primary schools:

The Government announced intentions to run a pilot scheme in two areas of England to offer all Primary school pupils free school meals. Three Local Authorities in deprived areas will take part in the two year pilot starting next year.

For more information:

You can download there food based guidelines here http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/School-food-trust.pdf and also a guide to these new guidelines here http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/sft_non-lunch_guidance.pdf. A guide to nutrient-based guidelines can be downloaded here http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/UploadDocs/Library/Documents/sft_nutrition_guide_aug08.pdf.