Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the school milk subsidy scheme includes milk alternatives in the event that children have dairy allergies.

Only milk and relevant dairy products are currently eligible for subsidy in the School Milk Scheme and there are no plans to subsidise plant-based beverages.

However, the Government recognises that some children with clinical and dietary needs are unable to consume milk and expects schools to make reasonable adjustments for those with particular needs. The School Food Standards only require milk to be available, but they also enable schools in England to provide a variety of other products to meet pupils’ particular dietary needs, including plain soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium and combination and flavoured variations of these drinks. Further information is available on gov.uk at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/allergy-guidance-for-schools.

The independent Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) also recently assessed the potential risks posed by these products in the diets of infants and young children. It concluded that, from a toxicological perspective, neither the safety of these products, nor the suitability of current guidance, could be confirmed. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has also raised concerns that substituting these products for milk could lead to an increased risk of insufficient nutrient intake in young children. It highlighted the high level of uncertainty on nutritional composition of these products and limited data on their consumption by young children. A joint COT/SACN Working Group has been established to conduct a risk benefit analysis and the government will continue to closely monitor developments.