Hertfordshire school dinner chief John Want is concerned that Government proposals to make sweet desserts a once-a-week treat could result in increased numbers of children opting for a packed lunch.

And, he suggests, that drop in demand – combined with funding levels – could impact the financial sustainability of the school meals sector.

Earlier this week, the government launched wide-ranging plans designed to improve the quality of school food – including a ban on deep-fried food and limits on the availability of 'grab and go' items, like pasties, pizzas and sausage rolls.

Their plans also include proposals to replace traditional sweetened puddings – such as a sponge cake or a cookie – with fresh fruit, for the majority of the school week.

John Want is the chief executive officer of county council-owned Herts Catering Limited, which supplies lunches to the vast majority of schools across Hertfordshire.

He says the company already meets many of the new proposed standards – complying with 'school food standards' and 'food for life', as well as being 'sugarwise' accredited.

And he says the company hasn't provided any deep-fried food in schools for more than 10 years.

Nevertheless, he does have concerns that the latest Government drive for higher nutritional standards may "alienate" some children, who may even go hungry rather than eat the food on offer.

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And he fears the proposal to replace traditional puddings with fruit on a majority of days could put some children off having a school lunch.

"The new standards, we feel, might turn children off from having a meal, because they look forward to having a pudding," he said.

"An appealing pudding does drive children to have a delicious main course as well.

"So there are concerns that if pudding choice is reduced, that might actually mean fewer children take a meal because they don't have an attractive pudding at the end of it."

Mr Want suggests that a decline in the number of children opting for a school meal could play a part in making providers of school meals "unsustainable".

But he says it could have a negative impact on children too – pointing to research that suggests packed lunches are often less nutritious and contain higher amounts of sugars and fats.

"If there are fewer children having meals, they will be bringing packed lunches," he said.

"We know from experience that packed lunches can be significantly less healthy than school meals.

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"We find many packed lunches are loaded with sugar and fat – providing a quick burst of energy, but towards the end of the school day, children then don't have the energy to continue learning and playing.

"We want to ensure school meals drive wellbeing and help children learn through the whole school day."

Meals provided by HCL run on a three-week cycle, with fresh fruit already available every day.

And Mr Want stresses that over each three-week period, the meals are "very balanced".

While the company is funded to the tune of £2.61 for every free school meal it provides, Mr Want estimates that the true cost of that meal is £3.45.

And as well as concerns that possible changes could lead to a fall in demand, Mr Want also points to the "significant underfunding" of school meals in England.

He suggests that, as a result of the proposed changes, they could be facing a "double whammy" of a fall in demand and increased costs, too.

"We are running on margins of less than 1%," said Mr Want.

"As a purpose-led organisation within HCC ownership, we are able to run a sustainable service where we reinvest profits to keep costs down and engage with communities in the right way.

"Over the next couple of years, we will reach a point where we may not be sustainable if we don't maintain the level of meals and the funding we have.

"If we are forced to use what will be more expensive ingredients and funding doesn't reflect the cost of providing compliant meals, we could have a double whammy of higher costs and lower meal numbers.

"That doesn't lead to a sustainable school meals service."

Herts Catering Limited is wholly owned by Hertfordshire County Council. It provides meals to 450 primary and secondary schools, the majority of which are within the county. And it serves 14.25m school meals annually.

In launching a consultation on plans to overhaul school food standards, the government has acknowledged that many schools are already leading the way with delicious and nutritious meals that children love.

But they say the new standards will level the playing field so that every child – no matter where they live – will get good quality food at school.

Describing the plans as "the most ambitious overhaul of school food in a generation", Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has said: "Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive – meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that food standards on paper become good food on the plate..

"From our breakfast clubs to extending free school meals to over half a million more children, this means good-quality food from the moment children arrive at school to the end of the day."

The Government's consultation on school food standards is scheduled to close on June 12.