Pupils shun Jamie's meals
PUPILS are shunning the revamped healthy school dinners championed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, with just a third of Westcountry pupils opting for the meals.
Ministers had pledged to increase substantially the numbers eating them in the wake of the TV chef's campaign to ban canteen staples like turkey twizzlers and chips.
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But new figures published by the School Food Trust showed that in parts of the Westcountry fewer than one in five teenagers have opted to eat the lunches.
Critics claimed the Government had "rushed" to introduce guidance to add more salads and fruit to menus without putting in place the groundwork needed to ensure children opted for schools meals.
But schools minister Diana Johnson said the data could be used to pinpoint areas where more action was needed to encourage pupils to eat more healthily.
Across the Westcountry, take-up of schools meals was generally slightly higher at secondary schools than primaries.
However, in Cornwall less than 16 per cent of older children ate the meals compared to 27 per cent of primary pupils.
In Devon, just 34 per cent of primary and secondary pupils ate school dinners, slightly more than in Plymouth. In Torbay, 36 per cent of secondary pupils and 29 per cent of primary had the lunches.
In Somerset the figure was only 20 per cent of primary and 23 per cent of secondary children while in Dorset just nine per cent of younger and 11 per cent of older pupils tucked in.
Nationally take-up has stalled. It means the Government has missed a target set two years ago to improve take-up by 10 per cent in England by this autumn.
Fewer than half of children have eaten school lunches in every year since 1984.
Schools minister Diana Johnson said a new method of collecting the figures had been introduced because "we want a more robust and comprehensive way of measuring the healthy eating of children at school".
"With this new data, we can pinpoint areas where take-up is low and work with most local authorities to help them get more children eating healthy school lunches," she said.
Prue Leith, chairman of the School Food Trust, said: "We now have a genuine picture of take-up across the country and we can see that real progress is being made the length and breadth of England. I am absolutely delighted that three million children are eating healthy, nutritionally balanced school food every day."
She said he was "heartened" that "we are winning the battle for the hearts, minds and tastebuds of children and parents".
Figures published last July showed that in 2007-08 the proportion of primary pupils eating school dinners rose by 2.3 per cent to 43.6 per cent of pupils.
But take-up among secondary pupils dropped by 0.5 per cent, amid concerns that teenagers would rather buy junk food from local shops than eat healthy dinners in the school canteen.
Research conducted by the Nutrition Policy Unit at London Metropolitan University last year found large numbers of children are still stocking up on calorie-laden snacks from local shops.
Before last year, the last time take-up of school meals increased was in 2004 – the year before TV chef Jamie Oliver began his campaign for better quality school dinners.
It won huge public support, ministers banned junk food from school canteens and vending machines and in 2006 new rules to make food healthier were introduced in English schools.
David Laws, Yeovil MP and Liberal Democrat schools spokesman, said: "The Government has missed its target to get more pupils to take school meals by well over one million children. We now know barely a third of secondary school pupils are eating school meals.
"There are a number of reasons why the Government has missed its target – including the rushed introduction of new food standards before the groundwork had been done to ensure children will eat the new healthier option."
8 Comments
by dogbasket, st austell
Monday, July 13 2009, 3:27PM
“My son is underweight, sit him in front of most school dinners, and he will simply not eat. Is that healthy for him? Jamie Oliver thinks so. The main problem with the dinners, is that its a either/or situation, and if the child likes neither choice that day, he/she will find ways to smuggle in unhealthy food or simply starve. What I would like to see is more of a buffet style selection where kids can mix&match the carbs,meat & veg/salad. Sauces, gravy or as my son likes no sauces!”
by richard, bodmin
Monday, July 13 2009, 12:25PM
“Two reasons for the lower uptake in Cornwall.
Cost...we are a very poor region compared to the rest of Britain.
Second reason , and it is the category that my sons fall into is, my wife and I both cook so we have a main family meal in the evening. Nothing healthy about eating two main meals a day!!”
by Ben, Truro
Monday, July 13 2009, 10:07AM
“if parents are that stupid that they cant see that waht jamie oliver is trying to do is in the best interests of their children maybe they deserve to have fat unlhealthy children who will probably die young as a result of ill health, heart disease and diabetes. maybe then they might take their heads of of a certain orifice and see what the point of this is all this. but i fear its unlikely and jamie oliver will continue to be a soft target when fundamentally i think what he is trying to acheive is a good thing.”
by martin, redruth
Monday, July 13 2009, 9:24AM
“Yes, well done T Murray of Cumbria. No-one is taking up the meals because Jamie Oliver occassionaly swears. That does make the food he creates less nutritious, healthy and attractive.
You sure swayed me with that well reasoned argument.
Perhaps we should stop breathing air too, as he is setting a bad example by breathing and swearing.”
by Marc, Cornwall
Monday, July 13 2009, 9:13AM
“All very well Michelle but this responsibillity needs to start with the parents. When I was a kid I was fed drose that I had to get while my mother was drunk in bed. This is part of the education that the kids need. If a third of the kids are eating healthier then at least it has made some change. As a chef I hear alot about people slagging Jamie Oliver off but he has made a real differance whether it is with the schools, Fifteen or just generally encouraging more kids to become chefs”
by Michelle, St.Erth
Sunday, July 12 2009, 11:27PM
“I had free school meals at school, for year 7 i had them everyday eating the set meals as they were the best option and we got a free can of drink. In year 8, Jamie Oliver got on his high horse and decided to introduce his 'bans' and ideas which meant the amount of choice available was limited, so even with my free school meals, i didn't eat in school and took a sandwich instead or ate nothing.
Children should be able to choose thier own food ideas. Let them choose what they want to eat, show them the way with Food tech, but let them lead... School food is always an issue on the education front, easy answer give the kids the variety and let them make informed choices, helping them to develop into adults with their own well-developed thought processes and choices/ideas.”
by Michelle, St.Erth
Sunday, July 12 2009, 11:24PM
“I had free school meals at school, for year 7 i had them everyday eating the set meals as they were the best option and we got a free can of drink. In year 8, Jamie Oliver got on his high horse and decided to introduce his 'bans' and ideas which meant the amount of choice available was limited, so even with my free school meals, i didn't eat in school and took a sandwich instead or ate nothing.
Children should be able to choose thier own food ideas. Let them choose what they want to eat, show them the way with Food tech, but let them lead... School food is always an issue on the education front, easy answer give the kids the variety and let them make informed choices, helping them to develop into adults with their own well-developed thought processes and choices/ideas.”
by T Murray, Cumbria
Sunday, July 12 2009, 11:08AM
“Perhaps if he used less foul language in his program it might be more acceptable to the Parents and the children who took part. Like Mr Ramsey, another who's profits have taken a nose dive, who would work for that creature!!!!!!.
T Murray.”