Healthy food for schools: New proposals to improve children's diets
THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has this week launched a public consultation on new school food regulations aimed at improving children's health and well-being by ensuring all pupils have access to nutritious meals.
The proposed changes focus on increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in primary school meals and reducing the availability of sugary desserts and fried foods. The plans align with UK dietary guidelines and are part of a broader strategy to promote healthy eating habits from an early age.
Evidence shows that many children in Wales consume too much sugar and not enough fruit, vegetables, or wholegrains. This imbalance contributes to childhood obesity, with one in four children starting school already overweight or obese.
These new proposals support the Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales strategy and follow the completion of the rollout of universal free school meals for all primary pupils. They mark the next phase in the Government's commitment to making the healthy choice the easy choice.
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, said: 'Good nutrition is vital for helping young people perform at their best – whether in the classroom, on the pitch, or chasing their dreams. Our evidence-based updates to school food rules will give children the best start in life, support Welsh food producers, and nurture a generation of healthy eaters to safeguard the future of our NHS.
'Schools and catering teams across Wales are already working hard to provide nutritious meals. I want to build on that progress and hear directly from parents, teachers, suppliers and young people. By working together, we can shape food standards that benefit every child in Wales – both now and in the future.'
Rachel Bath, Consultant in Public Health at Public Health Wales, added: 'Public Health Wales welcomes these proposals for primary schools. Evidence shows that robust food standards in schools can have a lasting positive impact on children's health and well-being. Strengthening these regulations is a vital step toward building lifelong healthy eating habits.
'These changes not only benefit children's health but also support a more sustainable food system and local economy. Through collaboration and oversight, school food can become a powerful tool for improving public health in Wales.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Nurses to vote on pay deal amid concerns of industrial action
Around 345,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be asked if the pay award is enough in what was described as the biggest single vote of the profession ever launched in the UK. Last month, the Westminster government accepted the recommendation of the Pay Review Body, giving nursing staff In England's NHS a pay rise of 3.6%. The RCN described the award as 'grotesque', saying it will see nursing staff receive a pay rise 'entirely swallowed up by inflation' – with doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces all receiving a bigger increase. An identical award was made in Wales, while in Northern Ireland, the Health Minister has announced his wish to implement a 3.6% pay rise, but this is still to be agreed. The RCN said the vote will be crucial in determining the next steps, which could include a ballot for strike action. The vote will include RCN members working in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Speaking from an international nursing conference in Helsinki and on the launch of the vote, Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary, will say: 'I'm with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards. 'It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough.' The RCN said nursing staff in England have faced more than a decade of pay erosion since 2010/11, with pay down by a quarter in real terms. As a result, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the numbers quitting is 'skyrocketing', said the RCN. Professor Ranger will add: 'Over a decade of pay erosion has had a devastating impact on our profession, forcing increasing numbers into quitting while putting off the nurses of the future. 'When our members vote, they won't just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it's enough to turn our profession around.' NHS workers including nurses staged a series of strikes under the previous Conservative government in bitter disputes over pay.
Rhyl Journal
30 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Nurses to vote on pay deal amid concerns of industrial action
Around 345,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be asked if the pay award is enough in what was described as the biggest single vote of the profession ever launched in the UK. Last month, the Westminster government accepted the recommendation of the Pay Review Body, giving nursing staff In England's NHS a pay rise of 3.6%. The RCN described the award as 'grotesque', saying it will see nursing staff receive a pay rise 'entirely swallowed up by inflation' – with doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces all receiving a bigger increase. An identical award was made in Wales, while in Northern Ireland, the Health Minister has announced his wish to implement a 3.6% pay rise, but this is still to be agreed. The RCN said the vote will be crucial in determining the next steps, which could include a ballot for strike action. The vote will include RCN members working in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Speaking from an international nursing conference in Helsinki and on the launch of the vote, Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary, will say: 'I'm with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards. 'It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough.' The RCN said nursing staff in England have faced more than a decade of pay erosion since 2010/11, with pay down by a quarter in real terms. As a result, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the numbers quitting is 'skyrocketing', said the RCN. Professor Ranger will add: 'Over a decade of pay erosion has had a devastating impact on our profession, forcing increasing numbers into quitting while putting off the nurses of the future. 'When our members vote, they won't just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it's enough to turn our profession around.' NHS workers including nurses staged a series of strikes under the previous Conservative government in bitter disputes over pay.
South Wales Guardian
31 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Stormont minister calls for terminally ill to be allowed state pension early
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said it is imperative that Government does more to ensure financial security and dignity for people in their final months of life. The measure – proposed by the end-of-life charity Marie Curie – would allow terminally ill individuals to claim their state pension based on national insurance contributions, topped up to at least pension credit-level. Figures from the charity's Dying In Poverty campaign show that around 111,000 people die in poverty each year in the UK, with more than one-in-four working-age individuals facing financial hardship in their final year. Mr Lyons has written to pensions minister Torsten Bell to press for action. 'It is imperative that we do more to ensure financial security and dignity for people in their final months of life and I am urging Minister Bell to take decisive action on this issue,' he said. 'A terminal diagnosis should not be accompanied by the added burden of financial hardship but unfortunately this is the stark – and unacceptable – reality for too many. 'Marie Curie's compassionate and practical solution would allow terminally ill individuals to access the state pension early, providing much-needed financial stability and some peace of mind during the most difficult of times.' On March 31, the Northern Ireland Assembly unanimously backed a private member's motion urging the UK to implement legislative changes that would enable those with a terminal diagnosis to access their state pension early. It is understood that these issues may be tackled in the UK Government's new Pension Schemes Bill. Mr Lyons said he has committed to engaging with the Department for Work and Pensions on behalf of those diagnosed with a terminal illness and to advocating for greater support. He added: 'I am urging the UK Government to act swiftly and compassionately to deliver meaningful change on early access to state pensions. 'No-one should be facing their final months with the added burden of financial distress and I will continue to press for a fair and compassionate system that meets the needs of those who are most vulnerable.' A government spokesperson said: 'No-one should suffer financial hardship because of a health condition, especially people nearing the end of life. 'And our special rules unlock early access to certain benefits and support systems for those nearing the end of their lives. 'Our Pension Schemes Bill will increase the life expectancy threshold for support from six to 12 months, giving more people the help they need at the hardest time of life.'
