Buckle up!

If you care about youth voice, fixing broken food systems, and reclaiming our rights to healthy, joyful lunchtimes, keep reading.

Henna (Impact and Evaluation Manager) and I (Katie, Senior Programmes and Policy Manager - Scotland) took Bite Back on the road for a sweep across North East Scotland to explore the school food landscape. We wanted to see what’s actually hitting young people’s plates, where the system is working, and where Big Food is still managing to muscle its way in.

The Good, the Bad, and the Sneaky Loopholes

Visiting high schools, we saw plenty of incredible work already happening. We’re talking free fruit and veg, meal deals smartly bundled with water and healthy snacks, and fresh produce displayed front-and-center right by the till.

Plus, I have to give massive props to the Scottish Government: their ambition around rolling out free school meals is top-tier (keep up, Andy Burnham!). But, despite this, the infrastructure hasn't grown fast enough to keep up with the demand. Young people told us all about long, chaotic lunchtime queues. When you’ve only got a short break, sitting in a massive line isn't happening. That pushes everyone straight toward the fast "grab-and-go" options like pizzas and paninis, which usually pack far less fresh nutritional punch.

And then there are the junk food giants, up to their usual tricks. They’re cheekily sneaking around legal Nutritional Requirements to get their brands into school corridors. Because drinks like Diet Coke, Sprite Zero, and Fanta Zero are sugar-free, they technically pass the rules. But let's be real, letting Big Food hook young audiences early and build customers for life right under the school roof isn't a win for our health.

With 1 in 3 children in Scotland on track for food-related ill-health in the future, it’s pretty clear that Big Food is having a Big Impact on children’s health.

When Young People Take the Reins

But one thing was clear: when youth voice leads the way, magic happens. We had the absolute pleasure of attending Banff Academy’s Canteen Takeover, where students literally ran the show for the day!

S3 pupils decorated the canteen, blasted music, and showcased their own delicious, healthy recipes. I tried a fajita panini, which was super tasty, and a great example of adding extra veg into a canteen classic. The biggest highlight was Tommy’s Taco Bar: a fun, youth-friendly salad station that was such a massive hit, the local authority is now looking into rolling it out across high schools in the whole area! That is how you create a joyful lunchtime.

On top of that, the students decided to spend their £500 grant from Bite Back (thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund) on a brand-new water fountain and reusable bottles, ensuring clean water takes center stage over fizzy drinks.

Competing With Multimillion-Pound Giants

Every single school we visited had legendary canteen staff working their socks off to serve nourishing meals. But they’re being forced to compete with a high street completely flooded by Big Food. KFC, Subway, Domino's and McDonald's don't have to play by school nutrition rules. They lure students out the gate with cheap lunchtime deals, flashy marketing, and fast service. Canteen staff simply can't out-spend a multimillion-pound advertising budget.

That flood of junk food is exactly why I joined Bite Back. I remember the draw of the supermarket at lunchtime from when I was at school in Edinburgh, and how many of my friends came back with a salt and pepper loaf and some fizzy sweets because that's what was affordable.

Food should be about nourishing the whole child: their growth, education, culture and community. Children in Scotland have a legally protected right to health, proper nutrition and clean water, and the right to have their voices heard.

Our Scotland roadtrip proved two things: Big Food will always try to find a loophole, but when young people lead the charge, they can create innovative, fun, and genuinely healthy food spaces that work for everyone.