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The Government's School Food Plan unveiled today wants all schools, including academies and free schools, to comply with a new set of simplified school meal standards.
 
The move represents something of a turnaround at the Department for Education where Education Secretary Michael Gove had initially resisted the idea of forcing academies to comply, arguing that most were already supporting the existing standards.
 
The Plan also.urges head teachers to take the lead in championing the school meals service, including the idea they could ban packed lunches.
 
The plan's authors, Leon restaurant chain entrepreneurs John Vincent and Henry Dimbleby, want the Plan to develop a financially-sound school food system that by 2018 is serving 70% of pupils, as opposed to the current 43% figure.
 
To this end the Department for Education has allocated £16.1m over the next two years, including £11.8m to help schools increase take-up of meals and £3.15m to ensure healthy breakfasts are available.
 
The key aims of the Plan include:
 
* Increasing the take-up of school meals
* Introducing new, simplified school meal standards
* Putting cooking on the curriculum for all 7-14-year-olds
* Improving the morale of school caterers
* Encouraging all schools to get Food For Life acceditation
 
Vincent said: "We want to build on all the good work that has already been done to create a 'golden age' for school food so that we all live in a country that is more successful, healthier, happier and might even be a bit more likely to win the World Cup."