In a week when children in England excitedly/reluctantly/mercifully (delete as appropriate) returned to the classroom, today’s Digest fittingly carries a school food theme.
First comes news that the majority of state-run schools are routinely serving up nitrite-cured meats like ham and bacon at mealtimes. A survey by the Coalition Against Nitrites, reported by The Times, found 68% of councils are serving processed meats containing the additives that have been linked with a higher risk of cancer.
To recap, earlier this year the newly formed coalition of scientists and politicians called on the UK Government to ban the use of nitrites that are commonly added to processed meats like bacon and ham to preserve their colour, flavour and shelf life, as evidence grows of their harm to health. Nitrites have been strongly linked to the formation of nitrosamines in the stomach – compounds associated with the development of bowel cancer. Current legislation permits their use as a processing aid so long as levels fall below certain thresholds.
The EU has already moved to slash the maximum permissible levels of nitrites added during the manufacturing of meat products by almost half from October this year. The UK has yet to follow suit with the Food Standards Agency maintaining that nitrites have undergone a rigorous safety assessment prior to being authorised and help limit the growth of bacteria that cause the life-threatening illness botulism.
The schools’ survey, which followed freedom of information requests submitted to 173 local authorities in England and Wales, found that only 16% had stopped using nitrites, with the remainder unable to provide clear information about their use. There was evidence of greater action in London where just 41% of schools continue to serve processed meats containing nitrites.
“We know many schools are under great pressure on many fronts, but it is really not acceptable that many are putting the health and wellbeing of children at risk by serving nitrite-cured meats,” said Professor Chris Elliott, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast and a member of the Coalition Against Nitrites.
Alternatives to nitrites do exist in the manufacturing process, but perhaps schools looking to phase them out might consider substituting processed meats with more plant-based menu options instead? That’s certainly the hope of campaign group ProVeg UK which has published data showing demand among parents for more plant-rich school food. A YouGov survey of 1,500 parents of children aged 3 to 18 years found almost half (46.7%) support an increase in plant-based food in schools compared with 23.4% who oppose it. More than a third (37%) of respondents agreed that schools serving more plant-based meals would make the meals healthier compared to what is served now, versus 24% who disagreed.
“It’s great to see support for plant-based options on school menus is strong with parents,” said Sophia Millar, co-director at ProVeg UK. “ProVeg has already swapped 10 million meals to date – a fantastic milestone – and we’ll continue to keep championing plant-rich recipes, and training school caterers to cook with planet-friendly and nutritious ingredients.”
Also covered in this week’s Footprint news:
- The UK Government is moving forward with plans to ban the sale of energy drinks to under-16s. More.
- Ministers are being urged to address the outsized environmental impact of UK pig and poultry production. More.
- The Groceries Code Adjudicator has been effective in addressing competition concerns in the grocery sector, according to the CMA. More.
