Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education
I am pleased to confirm that today I have published the Summary of Responses to the Healthy Eating in Schools consultation. The 10-week consultation, held from 20 May to 29 July 2025, received over 2,700 responses from learners, parents, educators, health professionals, local authorities, and other stakeholders demonstrating strong engagement and a shared commitment to improving school food standards in Wales. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond.
Our ambition remains to help children and young people develop healthy eating habits, access healthier food during school hours and make healthy food choices. We know that good nutrition helps children perform better and reach their full potential.
Our proposals were developed carefully and collaboratively to support healthier food and drink in schools, improving concentration and wellbeing, supporting improved education outcomes, reducing health inequalities and supporting the development of healthy eating habits for life. I am therefore encouraged by the broad support for the majority of proposals we published, including from children themselves and their parents.
I am committed to continued collaboration and careful consideration of these findings prior to the final set of regulations for maintained primary and maintained nursery schools being laid. This will help us to strike the right balance between the outcomes we are hoping to achieve, their practical delivery on the ground, and the continued enjoyment of school meals by all children and young people.
The intention is to lay the regulations in this Senedd term, and I will provide further communication on this matter at that time. We are grateful to all those who contributed to the consultation and look forward to continuing this important work in partnership with stakeholders across Wales.
The Summary of Responses is now available here and on the Welsh Government website. Thank you again to everyone who took part in the consultation, your voices are helping to shape the future of school food in Wales. Together, we're laying the foundations for healthier school food to help children thrive and reach their potential.