'Juice snatcher' Lucy Powell could bar schools from serving fruit drinks to pupils under anti-obesity drive

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 11:42, 9 August 2026 | Updated: 11:44, 9 August 2026 Schools are to be told not to serve fruit juice to children under a new Labour healthy eating drive. Guidance due to be released at the start of the new school year says they should be removed from school meal options in England to reduce the sugar intake of children. Instead, pupils will be offered only 'plain water, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, lactose free milk or some plant-based drinks', with secondary-age children also allowed sugar-free drinks, tea and coffee.  The rules would come into effect in September 2027 in primary schools and a year later in secondary.  The Department for Education (DfE) said the move, the first change since 2014, did not amount to a ban, as parents will still be able to supply their children with juice from home if they wish to. The updated guidance also says children should be offered at least one portion of fruit or vegetables at breakfast but clamps down on fried food and processed meats. It also argues that fruit juice and smoothies account for 15 per cent of the intake of 'free sugars' – those artificially added to foods and drinks – in primary aged children, with the amount in one 150ml portion of fruit juice delivering three quarters of the maximum recommended amount.  But the Tories suggested it was nanny state overreach and warned new Education Secretary Lucy Powell could end up being linked to the scheme in the same way Margaret Thatcher was known as the 'milk snatcher' in the 1970s after free milk was withdrawn. Guidance due to be released at the start of the new school year says they should be removed from school meal options to reduce the sugar intake of children But the Tories suggested it was nanny state overreach and warned new Education Secretary Lucy Powell could end up being linked to the scheme in the same way Margaret Thatcher was known as the 'milk snatcher' in the 1970s Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake told the Telegraph: 'We all want children to have a healthy diet but banning fruit juice is absurd nanny state nonsense. 'It's a farcical image: Lucy Powell on the prowl in the playground, hunting for contraband drinks. 'Burnham's new Education Secretary should ask herself if she really wants to be remembered as the juice snatcher.' And Andy Bagnall, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said: 'Everyone wants children to eat more healthily, but with fruit and vegetable consumption already worryingly low, cutting fruit juice from school menus would be the wrong move for children's diets. 'Government data shows household purchases of fruit and vegetables have declined in recent years. Deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin C and folate – both found in orange juice – are becoming increasingly common among children, with nearly one in five deficient in vitamin C.' However the Food Foundation charity, which has worked with the DfE on healthy eating, said it was 'an evidence-based, long-overdue intervention'. It also criticised the DfE for delaying the introduction of the change in secondary schools until September 2028, saying there was no reason it could not start in 2027. A Department for Education spokesman said: 'It's ridiculous to suggest that there's a ban on fruit juice. No one is saying that – children can have fruit juice in their packed lunch. 'The plans to update the guidance for food served in schools have been long in the making and consulted on with parents earlier this year. They are due to be published next month. 'The recommendations will help schools offer healthy food and drink. Many schools already do this – because of the positive benefits that this has on reducing childhood obesity and dental decay.'