Sports Competitors: Dietary Supplements
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to (a) schools and (b) colleges on the use of protein supplements by students engaged in sports programmes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
No specific guidance on the use of protein supplements has been issued to schools and colleges. However, the School Food Standards (SFS) are mandated to ensure that schools provide pupils with healthy food and drink options, enabling children to get the energy and nutrients they need across the school day. Protein supplements are not included under the SFS and so should not be provided by schools. Compliance with the SFS is mandatory for all maintained schools, academies and free schools, including sixth form colleges attached to secondary schools.
Schools are encouraged to have a whole school approach to healthy eating, including local policies for food and drinks that can be brought onto the school site from home. School governing boards are responsible for setting their school food policies and ensuring compliance with the SFS.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 to 2023 reported that population level protein intakes exceed recommendations across all age and sex groups. As such, protein supplementation is largely unnecessary for the majority of the population, including children engaging in sports activities at school or college.
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