Zahawi: 'It is for families to decide whether meat is part of their child's diet – not schools'

The Education Secretary has expressed his concern with schools that have banned meat from their lunch menus, declaring the issue is 'for families to decide' in a letter to the Countryside Alliance.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Nadhim Zahawi vowed to 'look closely' at the issue, adding: 'I completely agree with the Countryside Alliance: our farmers make an extraordinary contribution to the British countryside and the sustainability of their livestock system.

'It is for families to decide whether meat is part of their child's diet – not schools.

'Schools should offer children a balanced, healthy range of food options and there is no reason at all why meat products should not be available to pupils for lunch.

'The vast majority of schools already take this sensible approach and I encourage any outliers to follow their example.'

The news comes as parents at Barrowford Primary School in Lancashire were told earlier this month that meat was banned from their children's canteen and lunch boxes. The school's Headteacher, Rachel Tomlinson, said she had made the decision in order to 'stop climate change' and cited the carbon footprint caused by the livestock industry.

In response to the story, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance wrote to Mr Zahawi calling for guidance against 'agenda-driven policies.'

Tim Bonner said: 'Where schools have implemented a ban on meat, parents have understandably reacted with anger, not least because it seems little to no consultation has taken place.

'The dietary requirements of their children is a matter for them, not the school.

'We need the Government to urgently review guidance to stop ideologically driven head teachers from implementing policies which suit their own agenda and in some cases, bias, against those who want their children to eat meat as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

'No one should face discrimination based on their dietary preferences.'

'Given the political nature of this debate it would seem appropriate to include guidance on providing a choice of dietary options including sustainably reared meat and to prohibit schools from banning it.'

'As the Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance, which champions the hard work undertaken by our farmers to
produce sustainable food while preserving and protecting our countryside, I cannot ignore the fact that it also exposes children to a false reality of livestock farming in this country.'

In his response, Mr Zahawi added: ' Decisions around school food provision are devolved locally and are made by the relevant local authority or school based on their local knowledge and priorities.'

'If parents are not happy with the food provided by the school they can take it up with the school and consider using the school's complaints policy. If after this there are still concerns, the matter can be raised with the Department for Education. The department would also expect schools that do not provide meat or dairy as part of a school meal to allow pupils the option of bringing those products to school as part of a packed lunch.'

In 2019, two schools - Greenhill Park Primary in West London and the Swan School in Oxford – banned meat from their menus.

The same policy followed in 2020 at Woolwich Polytechnic for Schools, in South East London, which also stopped pupils from bringing in packed lunches.

Last week, Mr Zahawi also revealed a new directive to stop teachers politicising the classroom and 'promoting contested theories as fact'.