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Fatty Foods and Fizzy Drinks to Be Banned in School Canteens and Vending Machines

Posted on: Thursday, 29 September 2005, 06:00 CDT

By ROSA PRINCE, Political Correspondent

SWEETS, crisps and processed meals are to be banned from schools, it was revealed yesterday.

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly promised to clear menus of sugary, fatty and salty foods. Vending machines selling junk food and fizzy drinks will be axed.

Mrs Kelly's announcement to the Labour Conference follows TV chef Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve pupils' lunches, backed by the Mirror.

A full list of foods to be banned from school kitchens will be published next week when the School Meals Review Panel reports back. It is expected to include junk food with high levels of salt, sugar and fat.

Some border-line products, such as chips, fresh cakes and baked doughnuts, are likely to escape the purge. But they may be limited to once or twice a week.

Mrs Kelly said: "I am clear that the scandal of junk food served every day in school canteens must end. I will ban low-quality reprocessed bangers and burgers being served in schools from next September.

"And because children need healthy options throughout the day, I can also announce that from next September, no school will be able to have vending machines selling crisps, chocolate and sugary fizzy drinks."

There was anger that the proposals will not come into force for another 12 months. But a Department of Education source said: "A year may seem like a long time, but actually it's swift, given that legislation needs to be drawn up in order for us to have the power to insist schools abide by the new minimum standard guidelines."

Some parents and teachers warned that the rules would be unworkable as pupils often bought junk food from shops.

Others complained that under controversial private finance initiatives, school kitchens were insufficiently equipped to provide home-cooked meals.

Mick Brookes, of the National Association of Head Teachers, said the Government's pledge of 50p per primary school child and 60p for secondary pupils was not enough to provide a good meal.

He added: "School leaders are heartily sick of having initiative after initiative foisted upon them and then having to allocate the funding and resources from the bottom of a barrel that has, in many cases, already been scraped clean.

"To expect schools to provide a quality meal for less than the price of the cheapest unhealthy burger does not stand up to serious scrutiny."

John Dunford, of the Secondary Heads Association, said: "Pupils will continue to eat unhealthy packed lunches and visit the local chip shop.

"Schools, especially those in private finance initiatives, may be locked into long term contracts with caterers and vending suppliers. They may not actually have control over what goes in vending machines."

Meanwhile, delegates in Brighton defied the Labour leadership again yesterday by voting for pensions to be increased in line with wages.

Source: Daily Mirror

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