Students in Scotland appear to prefer lunch from home rather than the new healthier menus being offered at school.
The number of students eating school lunch in Scotland has dropped to 46 percent, the lowest since schools began keeping record in 1999, the Glasgow Herald reported.
The decline comes after an all-time high of nearly 51 percent in 2003, the year after the Scottish Executive's Hungry for Success initiative was launched to reform school meals.
The newspaper said the phenomenon has been blamed on opposition from students whose normal diet consists of fatty foods such as chips, burgers and pizzas.
Nutrition experts say it can take months or even years to change entrenched eating habits, with many students preferring to take a packed lunch or visit nearby carry-out restaurants rather than trying out something new.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
