A quarter of schoolchildren have had takeaways delivered to them at school, according to health gurus.
A report published by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) today revealed that one in four children have ordered burgers, pizzas or curries to school for their lunch.
The society, who polled 570 teenagers for their study, have called for an outright ban on takeaway food in schools, which they see as a significant reason why one in six under-16s being obese in England today.
RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer said: “Our childhood obesity rates are disappointing, and tackling this must be a priority for government.
“There can be no excuses for fudging action on what is our number one public health challenge.”
There are more than 55,000 fast food and takeaway businesses in Britain and 28 per cent are within a five minute radius of a primary or secondary school.
But children in schools not near takeaways simply used their smartphones, with half of them who ordered takeaways using apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat.
Nearly half of the children polled said they thought fast food and takeaway companies were most at fault for childhood obesity.
