Request 101004006648

1. The number of schools and nurseries within your council area that currently remove, confiscate, replace, or otherwise prohibit items from children’s packed lunches brought from home.

2. The names of those schools and nurseries.

3. Copies of any guidance, policies, agreements, or instructions issued by the council to schools or nurseries concerning:

a) packed lunch monitoring
b) removal of food items
c) nutritional standards for home-provided lunches
d) the authority to prevent a child from consuming food brought from home

4. Details of the legal basis relied upon by the council, schools, or nurseries for removing or prohibiting food items from children’s packed lunches, including:

a) relevant legislation
b) statutory guidance
c) public health regulations

5. The number of complaints, concerns, or disputes received by the council in the last five years relating to schools or nurseries removing food from children’s packed lunches.

6. Any records, communications, or guidance discussing the limits of a school’s or nursery’s authority over food provided by parents.

Response 04-08-2026

1. Not held. This is not information that is recorded in ELC. Schools ask that children do not take any nut products into school due to allergies and encourage them to take healthy snacks and no fizzy juice. Information that is not held is exempt under S.17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)- information not held. 

2. This is not information that is recorded in ELC. Not held - S.17 FOISA

3. a) Example of packed lunch guidance attached [this information will be sent to the requester directly]

   b) Indicated by Setting the table guidance (see link below)

   c) Indicated by Setting the table guidance

   d) Indicated by Setting the table guidance

4. Setting the table is the Nutritional standards and practical guidance document for ELC in Scotland.

   Health and Social Care standards cite 1.37 “My meals and snacks meet my cultural and dietary needs, belief and preferences”. Setting the table (page 80) highlights that menu planning to best meet individual needs is key and this would be done through care/personal planning in ELC.

   National standard stipulates in Criteria 10 that providing healthy and nutritionally balanced meals and snacks in ELC settings is important. Settings must have a clear and comprehensive policy for the provision of nutritious meals, snacks and drinks for children. This should be consistent with Setting the Table and should ensure that individual cultural and dietary needs are met. There should be consultation with parents and carers about how other dietary preferences might be accommodated.

5. None received.

6. Example packed lunch guidance attached [this information will be sent to the requester directly]