MANY pupils are still turning up their noses at healthy school dinners despite TV chef Jamie Oliver's campaign, according to MPs.
The Commons public accounts committee said even though schools were offering healthy options pupils were not too keen on fresh fruit and veg.
The committee chairman, Tory MP Edward Leigh, said people were starting to recognise meals should be healthier and more appetising, and attempts were being made to improve standards, but it was proving difficult to persuade the `customers' to want to eat better food.
"The Department for Education and Skills will have to show it is making measurable progress in these areas," said Mr Leigh.
'Despair'
Committee member Austin Mitchell (Labour) tackled education chiefs and claimed that despite Jamie Oliver's TV campaign, school meal provision was still `a dog's dinner'.
He said: "It's no wonder Jamie Oliver is beginning to despair of you. It's no wonder some mothers have been shoving illicit hamburgers through the school railings."
Mr Leigh said negotiations with major caterers should be more hard-headed.
HOW can we turn pupils onto healthy food? Have your say.
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Most children have grown up with poor diets. Healthy eating will take time to establish as the norm. Again, this is more NO NEWS from the MEN.
Most kids are eating quick meals when they are at home or eating fatty crisps Ect their pallet (taste) gets used to eating fatty and sugary/salty foods ,Once your kids get used to eating ""DECENT FOOD"" they will start to realise that real food dosnt taste bad infact it tastes better. Teach parents to cook food with decent ingredients rather than microwave or mass produced frozen foods .Get that simon rimmer to get some parents toghether and show them its cheaper to cook fresh food....
The schools are not exactly saints either. Why is it that in Bolton schools, you must have one of each of the three classes of food, but cannot opt to be healthier? So you can have salad, chips and a cake, but you are not allowed to have salad, fruit and a healthy sandwich? It's not about making kids really healthy, just averagely healthy!
Is it not the parents responsibility to feed their kids a healthy diet? They eat more at home than at school! Another example of passing the buck!