All schools to ban junk food

Ian Craig

September 28, 2005

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HEALTHY: But will pupils be smiling at the change?

HEALTHY: But will pupils be smiling at the change? 1/2 Play Slideshow

CHEAP bangers, burgers and fizzy drinks are to be banned from schools.

Education Secretary and Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly has vowed that from next September all schools will have to remove junk food from their canteens.

She said the government would also look at what foods were on the menu at school breakfast clubs, in tuck shops and in vending machines.

The order comes after TV chef Jamie Oliver highlighted the problem of school dinners. Ms Kelly said ministers had to tackle the problem of growing obesity with better nutrition in school canteens.

She was telling Labour delegates in Brighton that next week she will publish a report which sets out detailed proposals for tough new nutritional standards.

Scandal

These will be policed by school inspectors. She said: "I'm absolutely clear that the scandal of junk food served every day in school canteens must end - I will ban low quality processed bangers and burgers being served in schools from next September."

From the same date no school will have vending machines selling crisps, chocolate and sugary fizzy drinks.

"The moment they walk in through the school doors they will get healthy food," said Ms Kelly. "Vending machines which stock healthy food also make money. We will remove chocolates, sweets and sugary drinks from machines and replace them with healthy apples, yogurts and fruit juices.

Ms Kelly said school governors would have a responsibility for the food served on the premises.

But as reported in the M.E.N. earlier this week proposals to outlaw sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks from all school vending machines were given the thumbs down by youngsters at a Manchester high school.

A machine at Chorlton High School was restocked with cereal bars and fruit juices two years ago. But students say a total ban on crisps and chocolate would be a step too far.

Student council member Haroon Choudry, 12, said: "The vending machine is healthy. You have to give students a choice otherwise they won't use it."

Do you agree that junk food should be banned in schools? Have your say.

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Angela, Manchester (28/09/2005 at 13:36)

Excellent. Hopefully now children will get at least one decent meal a day!

Now Ms Kelly, how about reintroducing proper domestic science lessons in schools (yes, we know, they're so politically incorrect, but at least people will know how to prepare meals and not have to rely on junk foods and subsequently have a heart attack!)

P. Dorff, Manchester (28/09/2005 at 13:50)

Brilliant!!!
Now lets focus on removing junk food from supermarkets and getting people to learn how to prepare and cook proper healthy food at home.
(By 'junk food' - I mean, anything thats pre-packaged in the form of frozen dinners and the likes...)
Lets face it, in a society that can't wait for a meal, is too lazy to cook, it's little wonder there are so many lazy and obese people around.
There used to be a time not so many moons ago where people had to actually COOK the food that they wanted to eat, not pick it out of their fridge-freezers and nuke it in the microwave for 3 minutes.
What harm can come from actually *knowing* the ingredients in the food you're eating?
So many kids AND adults are becoming allergic to a wide range of additives which are included in processed/fast/frozen food that you're at risk of ingesting something thats likely to cause some kind of bodily reaction thats going to require some form of treatment later in life, or avoidance.
Parents are going to need to learn how to make healthier meals for at home and make the distinction between good and bad food choices and encourage themselves aswell as their kids to eat more healthily.
Just think.. the next frozen dinner you put in the microwave/oven just might be the thing that triggers a slow meltdown to your death.
So, if you don't' want to outlive your kids, start being pro-active about diet at home. This thing works BOTH ways - we've sorted the schools, now lets shift things up a gear and take it HOME.

Drew, Worsley (28/09/2005 at 15:23)

Way to proselytise, P. Dorff. Have you any idea how sanctimonious you sound? You must be a bundle of laughs at dinner parties.

Joey, Ashton (28/09/2005 at 15:24)

Given that a child has one meal a day at school and two at home, They will eat in year (approx) 200 meals at school and 800 at home. Does anyone supose that the parents will make sure these will be healthy?

blower justice, manchester (28/09/2005 at 15:30)

Totally agree with previous comment - school dinners account for less than 200 meals a year for most kids. This is a much bigger problem - schools only hold a small amount of responsibility. What needs to happen is that junk and processed food needs to be less affordable and fresh fruit and veg needs to be susidised. Research shows kids from the poorest areas have the worst diet so lets help these families out by making "real" food affordable.

Jeff, Canada (28/09/2005 at 15:43)

The kids will do the same as they do here in Canada. They go to Burger King, McDonalds and shops to buy crisps etc. You can't force them to eat Jamie Oliver food!

kitty, eccles (28/09/2005 at 16:12)

Angela and P. Dorff are sopt on with what they are saying. In your processed microwave meal there are hundreads of different chemicals used to flavour and preserve the food. Bring back home ec! It wasnt taught at my school even though it was an all girls one! Too many people are getting lazier and lazier to go home after work and cook something from scratch, i work 12 hours a day and still manage to cook a proper meal when i get home. These kids are also getting too lazy to go outside and play instead of sitting on their playstations as they are inlfluenced by their parents, like Angela said it may be the only decent meal these kids get in the day!

mark, stretford (28/09/2005 at 18:21)

it is a pity that it has taken ms kelly more than 6 months to make these pledges, worse still to be shemed into action by a tv chef.
so ms kelly shame on you for not acting before.

Ming the merciless, Audenshaw, Manchester (28/09/2005 at 19:04)

It's a tricky one-leave people to their own devices and let them destroy themselves or take control....

paul, manchester (29/09/2005 at 00:44)

banning 'junk foods' from schools only tackles one part of a big issue. junk foods enter schools so easily because they are cheap and easy to re-heat. there is no cooking to be done with junk foods! lessening the availability of junk to school children will only provide a lasting solution if effective education is given to combat the desire to eat items which are more akin to trash than food...

P. Dorff, Manchester (29/09/2005 at 22:49)

Quote *Way to proselytise, P. Dorff. Have you any idea how sanctimonious you sound? You must be a bundle of laughs at dinner parties.
Drew, Worsley
28/09/2005 at 15:23*

Actually, dinner parties aren't generally made up of junk food...
I can only assume you only go to parties in fast food restaraunts...

iiiiiiii, Manchester (15/10/2005 at 15:03)

kids need junk food...jus not everyday

rabeeya choudry, manchester (08/11/2005 at 18:42)

I agree that fizzy and unhealtyh junk food should be ban and haroon hope your campaghin works out good and good luck cuzin

Rabeeya
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gary Clear, New Zealand Ex Stockport (14/11/2005 at 23:47)

I watched the program in NZ about school meals in UK & at times Jamie Oliver felt he was banging his head on a wall. But after seeing this article it seems that the government has at last taken in information from a very good tv program.
Go Go Olivers Army.
Kids at first didnt like the new better value health meals but by the end of the porgrams they all loved them.

bao, orange county, CA (05/12/2005 at 15:54)

banning junk food is super stupid

Paul Eaton, Denton (25/01/2006 at 16:08)

Ms Kelly is quite obviously one of the most commercialy un-educated people around today. Vending machines offer choice, control and the ability to re educate eating habits. They are a part of modern life and should be treated as friends not enemies. Simply banning products makes them more attractive, children will simply leave the school and seek out local retailers. These Draconian measures have been introduced mearly as "spin" to help a struggling Goverment gain favour. I would have thought the better approach would have been to consult with suppliers to achieve realistic objectives that benefit all concerned.

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