Primary schools in England will be banned from serving fruit juice from September 2027, as part of a government crackdown on sugar in school dinners, prompting warnings from diet experts that the move could worsen vitamin deficiencies in children.
Under the new rules, sugary drinks including fruit juice and low-calorie sweetened beverages will be forbidden in primary schools and replaced with water, milk and plain fermented milk drinks. Schools will also no longer be allowed to serve deep-fried foods, and every meal must come with vegetables or salad.
Menus will also be required to include more fibrous wholegrains and pulses, such as lentils and chickpeas, alongside main meal options at least once a week.
Nutritionists push back
Registered nutritionist Rob Hobson told the Daily Mail that a small serving of fruit juice is "not concerning" for the health of young children.
"It counts as one of your five a day and provides useful nutrients including vitamin C, which the government does not acknowledge," he said. "I don't think we need to demonise a 150ml serving of 100 per cent fruit juice and it definitely should not be viewed as 'bad' by children."
A small glass of fruit juice contains around three-and-a-half teaspoons of naturally occurring sugar, just under half of the recommended daily limit of free sugars that contribute to obesity and tooth decay. Free sugars are those added to food and drink, or found naturally in juices, as opposed to the sugars locked inside whole fruit or found in milk.
When fruit is eaten whole, its sugars are locked inside the plant's cell walls, so the body digests them slowly and blood sugar does not spike. When fruit is juiced, the natural fibre is stripped away and the sugar enters the bloodstream rapidly.
'Unscientific' to equate juice with sugary treats
Campaigners argue that equating a sugary treat with a glass of orange juice is unscientific, given the vitamins and minerals the latter provides. Andy Bagnall, Director General of the British Soft Drinks Association, which represents UK soft drinks and juice manufacturers, said the nutrient boost from juice is especially important for children who miss out on fruit and vegetables.
"Removing fruit juice from school menus is counterproductive," he said. "Just six per cent of children from low-income households meet their five-a-day, according to the Government's own data. This move risks making existing disparities in nutrition worse, not better."
A 150ml portion of fruit juice counts towards five-a-day and provides calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and several B vitamins. Bagnall said 17 per cent of children are deficient in vitamin C and 12 per cent are deficient in vitamin B9, also known as folate.
"Removing an accessible source of these nutrients risks making it harder for some children to achieve a healthier diet," he added.
What NHS guidance says
Current NHS guidelines allow children from the age of five to have one glass of undiluted fruit juice or smoothie a day, served with meals. Vitamin C is essential for children's general health and immune systems, and it also helps the body absorb iron, a nutrient that supports brain function, memory, concentration and learning abilities.
Secondary schools face later ban
The updated rules for primary schools come into force in September 2027. In secondary schools, juice will remain permitted initially, with a maximum of 150ml per day, before a blanket ban comes into force from September 2028.
The changes form part of a wider crackdown on childhood obesity. Children are now eating more than three times the amount of sugar they should be having by the age of seven.
More than four in ten children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, according to the National Child Measurement Programme, an annual survey that tracks the height and weight of schoolchildren in England. Many of these children will also go on to suffer high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes or early signs of heart disease, conditions usually developed in later life as a result of unhealthy lifestyles.
