Most parents want a ban on junk food vending in schools

Eight out of 10 parents want vending machines selling junk food banned from schools, says a survey published last week.

The poll, conducted by the Times Educational Supplement, showed that most parents wanted schools to ban vending machines, which are placed in 95% of secondary schools and can bring in income of £15,000 a year.

However, despite the poll showing that parents want vending machines kicked out of schools, the Department for Education and Skills has no plans to force a ban, preferring to leave the decision to head teachers and governors.

The survey, which questioned more than 700 parents of five- to 16-year-olds, also found that children from poorer backgrounds were more likely to eat unhealthily than those from middle-class families.

Overall, 45% of children were classified as having unhealthy diets, consuming at least five more fatty foods a week than healthy options. In middle-class families, 53% ate healthily, while in families where the parents were on benefits, the figure was just 22%.

Older children also ate more unhealthy foods than did younger children. Crisps were the junk food of choice, with 68% of youngsters munching at least one packet a day.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis said that the current situation meant that too often the meal allowance wouldn't allow kids to buy more than a plate of chips.

"According to the secretary of state, a free school meal should mean a two-course lunch and a drink. For too many pupils there is no such thing as a free lunch under Labour."

A recent survey by the Local Authority Caterers Association showed that 82% of primary school children in England eligible for a free school meal took advantage of it, while more than a quarter of secondary school pupils didn't.