The availability of healthy food options in secondary schools does not equate to healthy eating, a UK university finds. In the new study, researchers at Birmingham University found that, on average, less than two-thirds (64%) of schools meet UK food standards.
Instead, secondary school children are ‘voting with their feet’, opting for products that reflect their taste preferences and calls for convenience and value for money. While school students prioritise these factors when choosing foods, the research suggests that, on the whole, school food fails to provide these.
With accessible healthy options not necessarily amounting to healthy consumption, this may indicate a rise in functional confectionery in the adult consumer population. Functional confectionery refers to those products with higher protein, fibre and vitamin levels than traditional products.
In addition, new research from Action on Sugar states that despite lower-calorie and lower-sugar options available on the market, there are concerns over how effectively the current food environment promotes lower-sugar product varieties. A shift towards sugar-reduced confectionery product varieties may provide a solution.
Appealing to Gen Alpha
School students are the Gen Alpha demographic and the consumers of the near future. Ensuring products meet the factors that influence their buying behaviour is therefore vital. Sugar reduction is a key demand.
The new research from Birmingham University recognises this age group’s increasing autonomy over consumption decisions. “It is perhaps unsurprising that the main drivers of food choices in secondary school students are factors such as taste and value for money, given they are at the age where they have greater agency over the food that they eat,” says Professor Miranda Pallan, Professor of Child and Adolescent Public Health at the University of Birmingham and lead author of the FUEL study.
In addition, many of the 2,000 study participants from across 36 secondary schools said they did not enjoy the school eating experience. This, teamed with the stressful and busy food environment, sees students bring in food from home to eat.
Researchers established these findings during a three-year study period. The university identified lunchtime as the main time of day and eating occasion that schools are most compliant, with schools meeting 81% of standards for lunchtime food options. However, this figure dropped to 43% of standards for food options throughout the day, including breakfast and break times.
Matching food environments with trends
The latest research is part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded FUEL study, which follows a related study published in 2024 in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. This related study finds that food standards laws do not necessarily ensure compliance. As a result, schools may need monitoring and support. The researchers also said that considerations need to explore food environments outside of school.
“The FUEL study, however, shows that while schools could improve their provision of healthy food options for students, there are factors that go beyond a school’s responsibility that need to be addressed to help support young people to have healthier diets,” says Peymané Adab, Professor of Chronic Disease Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study.
Food trends in 2025 focus on communicating the nutritious content of products with transparent, simplified labels and health claims. Producers may focus more on balancing consumer choice for permissible indulgence by formulating products with higher protein, fibre, vitamins and mineral levels than conventional confectionery goods.
“Our study shows that there are nuanced considerations that need to be made when it comes to the how of providing healthy food choices in a secondary school context,” says Pallan. “Schools have a difficult balance to make when looking at healthy eating provision, with tight budgets and a student body who will vote with their feet if the food choice doesn’t meet their needs,” Pallan adds.
Engaging with this demographic to understand how to cater to their needs is recommended to understand their wider demands, buying habits and purchasing influences. “FUEL shows that schools are providing healthy options more of the time, but we also see that factors such as cost, convenience, and the eating environment are being considered by students,” says Pallan. “One area where schools may be able to improve is through consultation with students about designing menus that try to balance the demands for taste and convenience with providing healthy options,” Pallan shares.
Sugar reduction efforts still pursue laws
The effectiveness of legal instruments have been brought into question by recent research. However, following new findings from Action on Sugar at Queen Mary University of London, scientists are calling to extend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to cover foods driving excess sugar intake in children.
Efforts in the UK in recent years have centred around the government’s voluntary Sugar Reduction Programme, which aimed to lower sugar by 20% in key product categories by 2020. However, it did not meet its target, reaching a reduction of -0.9% in the chocolate confectionery category. However, its mandatory Soft Drinks Industry Levy saw the country achieve a 34.3% reduction in sugar content.
Alongside chocolate bars, filled chocolate, chocolate-coated nuts, and raisins, the Action on Sugar study also analysed diabetic, reduced sugar and low-calorie wafers
“A cake for dessert at school, a chocolate bar on the way home, and a few biscuits after dinner can push their sugar intake to triple the daily limit,” says Nourhan Barakat, Nutritionist at Action on Sugar based at Queen Mary University of London. “If sugar in these snacks were reduced by 20%, they would still be sweet, but with nearly 20 grams less sugar being consumed, it’s time food companies prioritise children’s health and cut sugar in everyday snacks,” Barakat adds.