A six-week pilot of England's proposed new school food standards — which ban deep-fried food and sugar-laden desserts — caused a 15% fall in meal uptake at a Brighton primary school, with children switching to packed lunches instead. Luke Consiglio, head of education caterer The Pantry, who ran the trial on behalf of the Department for Education, warned that stricter, more prescriptive menus risk pushing children and parents away from school meals altogether; spot checks on packed lunches brought from home found that all contained crisps and a chocolate bar. The findings raise broader concerns about underfunding — England's free school meal allowance of £2.61 per child trails well behind Scotland (£3.30) and Wales (£3.40) — with industry figures cautioning that without increased financial support, the well-intentioned reforms could worsen children's nutrition rather than improve it.