Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on encouraging schools to expand vegetarian options for school meals.

The Requirements for School Food Regulations (2014), which came into force in January 2015, regulates the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day. Beyond this, we believe that headteachers, school governors and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their pupils. In doing so, we expect schools to make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements, for example to reflect dietary and cultural needs. School food policies work best when schools discuss them with parents and pupils, so that parents have the opportunity to raise pupils’ particular dietary needs.