Because they can!
It is estimated that over £1.78 billion is spent in the UK on food advertising per year, the majority of which goes on advertising branded and processed foods, such as soft drinks, chocolate, biscuits, crisps and fast food. More than eight out of ten advertisements on children's TV are for fatty, salty and sugary foods. Schools remain one of the few places where children are relatively protected from commercial interests. Promoting healthy eating in schools is therefore one of the most important opportunities to ensure that children can choose a healthy diet now and in the future.

Because they have to
All schools have a duty to provide school meals where the parents request it and school meals have to meet minimum nutritional standards. For primary schools this includes providing fruit and vegetables every day and limiting the amount of fried food served. With delegation of meal budgets from local education authorities to individual schools, schools are now able to agree their own catering contracts and build a food service appropriate to their school food and curriculum policies. By 2009, it is expected that all schools will have achieved healthy schools status of the Healthy Schools programme, of which healthy eating is a key strand. Finally, the right of children to learn about nutrition and food skills is enshrined within the national curriculum.

Info bank 4: Nutritional standards for school lunches, info bank 5: Get food into the curriculum, info bank 11: Responsibility for providing school meals

Because they can see the benefits
Schools that have taken a whole school approach to healthy eating have found that it does not just affect the long-term health of pupils but has benefits for the children and the school from day one. Schools have reported that:

• Well-fed pupils are calmer and better able to concentrate.
  
• Well-fed pupils have fewer days off due to illness.
  
• Whole school food activities, such as tasting events and playground markets, are good ways to involve parents and community groups in school life.
  
• Whole school food activities, such as cooking, growing and tasting, are often good ways to engage children that are otherwise reluctant to get involved in school life.
  
• An improved food service leads to a better atmosphere.
  
• Food service initiatives such as breakfast clubs and tuck shops provide opportunities for social development.
  
• A whole school approach to food promotes the image of a caring school to parents of potential pupils.
  
• A policy to improve food and nutrition in school is viewed highly by Ofsted.
  
• A greater uptake of school meals and snack and breakfast services increases revenue.
  
• Curriculum links with special food projects and events bring subjects alive.

Schools that have undertaken Grab 5! confirm these benefits as the following quotes from school staff illustrate.

"As a school, by participating in Grab 5!, the children have become more aware of what healthy eating is. The older children especially have developed a positive attitude towards what they eat".

"Definitely has been an improvement in behaviour. Children are healthier now than they were a year ago. Lunch boxes are changing - we don't have the chocolate anymore".

"It has helped us with the Healthy Schools Standard and with Ofsted".

"The success of the fruit bowl for staff can be measured by the fact that the chocolate biscuits which were visible on the Monday were still there on the Friday, when normally they would vanish in one playtime."

Because they don't have to do it alone
This is just one of a range of initiatives aiming to promote healthy eating. It complements the Government National Healthy Schools Programme, the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, the Healthy Living Blueprint and the Food in Schools programme. Under the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, all four to six year old children in LEA maintained infant, primary and special schools are entitled to a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day. The evaluation of the Grab 5! pilot project found that Grab 5! not only supports and complements the work schools might be doing as part of the Healthy Schools Programme, meeting several of the associated criteria, but also sets a good foundation for schools that are considering adopting the Healthy Schools Programme.

"Grab 5! ran alongside the school's work on Healthy Schools. The two initiatives complimented each other. Although Healthy Schools has a far wider base, reaching into many aspects of school life, Grab 5! has had a major influence on the ethos and various 'practices' carried out throughout the school".

There are many other national and local organisations that will be able to provide practical and financial assistance to schools as well as recognising and promoting best practice. Many of these are listed under section 6 of this pack, 'More information'.

Info bank 2: Get your hands on some funding, info bank 10: Work with business, 'More information' section.