Schools are allowed to sell it because there are presently no rules or guidelines about what they can sell, only that it comes in on budget and that they don't add any more salt. Having seen the amount of salt in the 'healthy option' bag of chicken nuggets, (0.5g per 4 nuggets - a kilo bag of nuggets has 10g - 2 teaspoons of salt), I wonder how much is in the cheaper versions? Healthy option reduced salt/sugar baked beans has 0.5g salt per 100g of beans. It doesn't sound much, but when you add it all up, a plate of 8 chicken nuggets, frozen chips and baked beans can contain as much as 2.5-3g of salt, before any more is added by the consumer. That's just one meal and it's the healthy option version.

The recommended daily intake of salt for adults is 6g. For children, it's 4g. Facts and figures here. And don't think sodium is healthier, 1g of sodium = 2.5g salt.

But the killer fact - if the meals go over budget, the extra must be found from other areas within the school. If little Britney's dinner costs more than 39p worth of food, then little Chardonnay doesn't get an excercise book.

Limpit takes home made sandwiches and only has school dinners occasionally.

LTS