MORE than half the food purchased by Scottish pupils from takeaway shops close to their schools exceeds recommended levels of fat and calories, according to a new study.
Nutritional tests conducted on items from fast-food shops near secondary schools in Glasgow also found one-third breached Scottish Government guidelines on salt.
The worst offender in the pilot study by the NHS-backed Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) was a doner kebab and chips, which contained more than 1300 calories, 80 grams of fat and 4.5 grams of salt. With the exception of a portion of lentil soup and a roll that contained lettuce, there was no inclusion of vegetables or salad in any of the samples.
The study, which compared the food with the Scottish Government's statutory Scottish Nutrient Standard for School Lunches, calls for councils to restrict the number of takeaways close to schools.
The report also calls for a new look at whether a tax on fatty foods could discourage cut price deals deliberately targeted at pupils.
The study was part of a wider analysis of the impact of a Glasgow City Council policy to keep pupils in school at lunchtime in the first year of secondary.
Researchers from GCPH – which represents the council, NHS Greater Glasgow and Glasgow University – said keeping S1 pupils in school may not improve eating habits on its own.
Linda de Caestecker, director of public health for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: "Poor nutrition and increasing levels of obesity among our children and young people are very worrying.
"We cannot expect our young people to be able to change their behaviour if the external environment makes this difficult.
"We need to work together and build on good practice across a number of spheres including education, health improvement, school food policy, licensing and planning to help create environments that promote healthy rather than unhealthy choices."
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