Children find Jamie Oliver's school food hard to swallow, say inspectors | Health | SocietyGuardian.co.ukIt's become clear that (as was apparent all along) the psychology of healthy eating is as if not more important than the food itself. When food manufacturers are spending millions of pounds on carefully pitched advertising to convince kids that their products are 'cool' it's seems obvious it's going to take more than just Jamies face or a logo on a dish.
Foods for Life Yvonne Bishop-Weston
Nutritionist London says "The average school child isn't bothered about healthy eating messages any more than most adults. We need to stop telling them what they won't get and woo them with the advantages of a healthy diet. I suspect the schools would have more luck with say a
Victoria Beckham diet for healthy skin or
weight loss or David Beckham talking about the importance of diet and performance on the playing field."
In 19 of the 27 schools inspected by Ofsted the number of pupils opting for school lunches had dropped significantly since the healthy menus were planned. Local reductions ranged from 9% to a 25% drop in the number of pupils eating school meals.
The Guardian Reports - Jamie's school dinners: what went wrong?· Three of the primary schools visited reported that younger pupils could not manage a knife and fork
· Some schools misunderstood the "five-a-day" fruit and veg recommendations and included potatoes
· One teenager told inspectors that he had become far fitter as a result of regular walks to a nearby chip shop
· Pupils snacked on fizzy drinks and sweets on the way to schools
· At one secondary school counsellors were brought in to help a group of high-performing year 10 girls who smoked and were involved in substance abuse, and were skipping meals in an attempt to lose weight
· Pupils frequently said that the portions were small and left them still feeling hungry
John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Schools which have marketed their menus have done much better. You have to persuade children that the school food is cool to eat. Going straight to Jamie Oliver recipes without a thorough marketing strategy is bound to reduce numbers. Children are conservative and need convincing."
The chief inspector of schools, Christine Gilbert, said: "Schools that had the most impact in encouraging healthy choices were those which gave a priority to this as part of their day-to-day work. They encourage pupil involvement in designing school menus, for example, and worked hard to make their families understand the importance of healthy schools."
Children's minister Kevin Brennan said: "We are in this for the long-term. Cutting childhood obesity and unhealthy eating needs the backing of every local authority, school, teacher and parent in England. That's why I want them to consider Ofsted's report very seriously to further improve children's eating habits and increase school lunch take-up.
Links: -
www.jamieoliver.com/schooldinners
