More than eight out of 10 parents want vending machines selling junk foods banned from schools, according to a new survey.
The poll found that 81% of parents believed a ban on the machines, which sell crisps, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks, would improve children's diets.
But the machines, which have become commonplace in schools, earn additional income, said to be as high as £15,000 a year in large secondary schools.
The findings come as the Food Standards Agency and the Government become increasingly concerned about children's diets and food-related diseases. Recent studies suggest that one in five kids is classified as obese, and diet-related illnesses currently cost the NHS £13b a year.
But the Secondary Heads Association's assistant general secretary Bob Carstairs said the findings caused a dilemma for many schools. "Obviously from the point of view of a child's diet we recommend that the amount of crisps and chocolate eaten is monitored closely, and that vending machines are stocked with healthier food," he added. "But whether this is popular with the kids remains to be seen."
Carstairs said it was also hard to stop children in schools that had shops nearby from buying fizzy drinks and snacks. And he conceded that in some cases, vending machines were an important earner for schools. "The average is probably much less than £15,000 a year, but that could be the case in the biggest secondary schools," he added.
Neil Porter, national vice-chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association, agreed that banning the machines wasn't the right move. "If they're banned, the children will leave the school grounds and buy the same things elsewhere," he said. "What's stocked in the vending machines should be in balance with the general food policy of the school. There are many contracts where the limitations of the service are such that vending machines are an asset."
A vending service ensured that children could access products in a limited time, but it was important that suppliers looked at what was stocked in machines, he added. Ultimately, he said, it was up to the Government to consider whether catering in schools was a commercial operation or a welfare service, and act accordingly.
The survey was conducted by internet pollster YouGov, which questioned 2,405 adults.
by James Garner
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 27 November - 3 December 2003