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Fewer teenagers are having chips for their school lunch since legislation to improve school food came into full force, new research has found.

A national study by the School Food Trust - the first of its kind in secondary schools since compulsory nutritional standards came into full effect in 2009 - shows that the proportion of young people on school meals who had chips for their lunch was down from 43% in 2004 to 7% in 2011.

It also shows that almost all schools had ditched the sale of chocolate, sweets and crisps completely since the introduction of the legislation (although almost three quarters of students having packed lunches were still bringing these types of foods into school), and that the average school meal being eaten by secondary school pupils contained around a third less saturated fat, fat, salt and sugar in 2011 than it did in 2004.   

However, as the number of secondary school students having school meals continues to rise, the research also shows that schools still need to do even more to encourage them to fuel up well for their afternoon lessons.

Despite huge improvements to what's on the menu, teenagers are still not choosing food combinations that will give them enough energy and nutrients to stay alert all afternoon. Whilst the number of pupils having fruit, veg or salad with their lunch has doubled since the legislation came into force this still needs to increase much further, and teens are still not eating enough of their 'five-a-day' as part of their school meal.

Senior nutritionist Jo Nicholas, who led the secondary school research, said: "These findings show that even just 12 to 18 months after the final standards came into effect, as many secondary schools were getting to grips with the changes, the legislation was already making a significant impact - not just for what was on the menu but also for what teenagers were actually eating. Instead of 'chips with everything' we're starting to see signs of 'chips now and again'.
 
"It's also very clear that it's tougher for secondary schools to encourage students to make better choices than it is for primary schools, often because there are such a huge range of options on the menu. Caterers need to keep innovating to get teenagers eating even more fruit and veg, and to encourage them to have combinations of foods that will fuel them up properly.
 
"Ultimately, this research shows the really positive impact of the standards on the food on offer to young people at school, and on what they actually eat, in a short space of time."

The charity's chairman, Rob Rees, said: "Regulation may not always be popular, but evidence doesn't come much clearer of the difference it can make in tackling poor diet – one of the most serious and costly public health issues we face.
 
"If we want our schools to be places where children's minds and bodies are well-nourished, it's abundantly clear from this research that the standards should be the very minimum we expect for food in all schools."