Dame Prue Leith, the former Great British Bake Off judge, has called for lunchboxes to be banned in schools, arguing that parents cannot be policed on what they pack for their children. The 86-year-old chef and restaurateur made the comments as she hailed a forthcoming "revolution" in school food and backed compulsory free meals for every child.
Speaking to the Press Association, Dame Prue said the issue with packed lunches is that their contents "cannot be policed". She acknowledged her stance was "much more draconian", explaining: "I think we should ban lunchboxes because you can't police what parents put in. It's very hard if you're a mum walking around a supermarket with your child, and a child wants to have that chocolate bar and whatever in their lunchbox, it's really hard because it's an easy way of sort of pleasing a child, and it's an easy way of almost buying love."
The call comes as the government announced the first new school food standards since 2014, part of an overhaul aimed at tackling childhood obesity and tooth decay. The standards are designed to increase fibre intake by ensuring more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains are on offer. All pupils in England from families on universal credit will be eligible for free school meals from September.
Dame Prue said she would like to see free school meals for every child and for them to be compulsory. She told PA: "It's the first time in my long life of campaigning for better school food that I've actually felt there's a Government that is at least a little bit interested in getting food right in schools."
She also argued that feeding children tasty, nutritious food would not only help them be healthy but would also be an "opportunity for pleasure". "If children eat junk and they don't like healthy food and they're not given healthy food they will not be healthy," she said. "But I'm not only keen on learning to like good food for health. I think it's such a joy and such an interest. I think it's a lost opportunity for pleasure."
Dame Prue praised the Chefs in Schools charity and the School Food Project initiative, and said school kitchen staff are undervalued, adding that they can educate children about what they are eating and build their confidence around trying new foods.
The context for the debate is stark: around a third of children are leaving primary school overweight or obese, while tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine. According to a report published on Monday, the food charity Bite Back, set up by Jamie Oliver, analysed menus from almost 400 state secondary schools in England and found that more than three-quarters contained at least one breach of the current standards. Many breaches involved providing burgers, nuggets and hash browns more often than allowed.
Dame Prue became a judge on The Great British Bake Off in 2017, replacing Mary Berry. She announced in January that she had left the show, and Nigella Lawson was confirmed as her replacement. She was made a dame in 2021 for her services to food, broadcasting and charity.