Schools should no longer serve children meat three times a week, a new report says.

The Food Foundation says the current guidance about the serving of meat should be changed, with more vegetables, pulses (peas, beans, lentils, etc) and whole grains on offer instead.

While the government’s healthy eating advice recommends eating less red meat and processed meat (food like bacon, ham and sausages), four out of five of the most commonly eaten meat dishes in schools are processed or red meat.

The report finds that children are eating more processed meat than adults – 36% (more than a third) of meat eaten by children is processed, compared with 29% for adults.

Restaurant and fast food chains have also come under fire for prioritising meat on their menus, with meat-free options often proving difficult to find.

“As a nation we are eating too much processed meat, despite a very strong body of evidence linking it to a host of chronic diseases,” says the Food Foundation’s Rebecca Tobi. “It is particularly worrying to see children eating such a high proportion of processed meat, with schools and restaurants often serving up very meaty menus.”