UK bans fruit juice in primary schools amid nutrition debate

From September 2027, primary schools in the UK will be barred from offering fruit juice, sugary drinks or low-calorie sweetened beverages, with water, milk and plain fermented milk drinks as the only permitted drinks. The new rules also require more fibrous wholegrains, lentils and chickpeas on weekly menus. Nutritionist Rob Hobson contends that a 150 ml glass of 100 % fruit juice supplies vitamin C and counts toward the five-a-day target, and should not be demonised.

Andy Bagnall, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, warns that removing juice could deepen existing nutritional disparities, noting that a small portion contributes calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and B vitamins, and that a notable share of children lack sufficient vitamin C and folate. The policy forms part of a broader effort to curb childhood obesity, which affects over four in ten children by the end of primary school, according to one outlet Child Measurement Programme.