Nutritional standards
Nutritional Standards for school lunches and other food in schools apply in all grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland. Guidance is available and includes practical booklets for schools and leaflets for parents.
The current nutritional standards were reviewed, including a public consultation in 2020. Following the completion of this review, revised Nutritional Standards will be taken forward when additional funding is secured. Until then, the current Nutritional Standards will remain in place.
Nutritional Standards guidance
Guidance documents for schools and a poster developed by the Public Health Agency in relation to school food for individual faithers are available to download:
Practical guidance booklets
The Public Health Agency publication School food: the essential guide contains a series of practical guidance booklets designed to help schools improve pupils’ nutrition and implement healthier eating and drinking practices.
Individual booklets in the series are available here:
Food in schools policy
The Department's Food in Schools policy can also be viewed here:
Healthy Breaks and Healthy Packed Lunches
The Public Health Agency has produced guidance for parents containing practical advice on how to provide a health breaktime snack and also a healthy packed lunch.