Dentistry News | Dental Jobs | Dentist Forum | CPD Education
Dental news |
 |
RSS Feed | View by: Most Recent | Most Popular | Most Discussed |
School's out for tooth-rotting sugary snacks
18th Mar 2010
A new study reveals children are eating healthier lunches at school.
The nationwide study – carried out by the School Food Trust is the first of its kind since the Government's new standards came into effect in 2006.
It's found that kids are dithcing sugary snacks and that tthe lunches taken by pupils in 2009 were healthier than those of children four years earlier.
From a dental health care point of view, the government standards set involved schools having to provide healthier alternatives to sugary soft drinks and crisps, chocolate and sweets.
Athough fruit juice and dried fruit contain important nutrients (e.g. antioxidants, vitamins) and so they are useful foods for schools to offer, the guidelines suggest it is also important to be aware that dried fruit and fruit juices contain sugars, and consuming sugary food and drinks too often contributes to dental decay.
They sugest that individual schools may decide to offer these items at mealtimes only, and offer other alternatives such as water and fresh fruit as snacks during the rest of the school day.
The Trust's survey examined what was taken and eaten by 6,696 children from a nationally representative sample of 136 primary schools between February and April last year.
The results were compared with similar data collected in 2005.
Now 74% of pupils are now taking servings of vegetables and salad with their lunch, compared with 59% in 2005. On average, children in 2009 took more than two of their ‘5-a-day' as part of their school lunch, eating an average of 1.6 portions of fruit and vegetables. The research also found that:
• The proportion of children taking water to drink at lunchtime has gone up by more than 20% - from 29.5% in 2005 to 51.3% in 2009
• The overall amount of food that children are leaving on their plates hasn't increased
• With few exceptions, the average meals taken by children met the new standards for school lunch
• Healthier foods promoted by the new standards, such as vegetables and salad, fruit, milk and yoghurt, fruit juice and fruit-based desserts together represented at 12% greater share of the types of food and drink on offer
• Levels of salt, fat and sugar in the average meal were down, and the report highlights the 'remarkable achievement' of caterers across England in meeting the school lunch standards
Click here to access the report.
Rate this story
Comments
