BIG mother can now keep an eye on what her children eat at school after teachers installed an iris scanner in the canteen.

The Venerable Bede Secondary School, in Sunderland, is the first in the UK to have an iris scanner installed to identify its pupils.

The system was designed to cut waiting times in canteen queues and reduce stigma for pupils who get free school meals.

But it is also bad news for children who feast on fast foods and tell their parents they are eating their greens.

Parents can now make sure their children eat healthily by putting a computer block on them buying fatty snacks.

The scanner, as seen in movies such as Mission Impossible, is linked to a database which holds all the pupil's personal details, including what they can and cannot eat.

When they pick up their lunch, the scanner at the checkout picks up their details and an operator punches in each item on their tray.

But if they try to sneak through any snacks they are not allowed to eat, the computer rejects their choice and they have to return the food.

Pupil Jamie Hall, 12, said: "The scanner is a great idea, but I don't fancy my mum knowing exactly what I eat.

"When I go home, I say I've had vegetables and things for my dinner when I've really had a hot dog.

"But now I won't be able to escape. It will be like she can see me. I'll never be able to munch on chips again."

The scanner is being installed in the new £14m Church of England school, which will open its doors in September.

The idea is the brainchild of headteacher Ed Yeates, who said: "We wanted a system that would eradicate problems of queuing for school meals and also the stigma attached to children who get free school meals, whose families are on benefits.

"In the past, they have had to hand over vouchers or other schemes, and all the other kids have known they get their lunch free.

"There is no cash, no vouchers. As a result, queues move quickly, the food is still hot when you eat it and the stigma of free school meals is gone - therefore it cuts out any bullying element.

"If any pupils have food allergies, the system can be set up to recognise this and reject foods."