Provisional figures for 2007/08 show that 37.2 per cent of secondary school pupils ate school meals, down 0.5 per cent on 2006/07. This compares with 42.7 per cent of secondary school pupils eating school meals in 2005/06, before the drive for healthier school meals was introduced.
Judy Hargadon, chief executive of the School Food Trust, said: "Many teenagers still need a great deal of convincing."
Sandra Russell, chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association, added: "We must all continue to work together to address the challenges of encouraging young people to eat more healthily."
Primary school pupils, however, have begun to embrace healthy school meals. The study found the percentage of primary children eating school food rose to 43.6 per cent, up 1.3 per cent on 2005/06 and 2.3 per cent on 2006/07. "This shows that the huge effort schools and caterers are putting in is beginning to succeed in changing the tastes and habits of a new generation," said Hargadon.
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