School Food
School meals have never attracted so much public attention. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s recent TV program seems to have spurred government, schools, pupils and parents into action in calling for better school meals.
From September 06, new guidelines will be introduced into schools in England which will govern the nutritional value of the food on your plate. In Scotland a similar initiative called “hungry for success” has been in place in primary schools since December 2004 and will arrive in secondary schools from December 06.
Why Is This Important?
The mid-day meal, whether a school meal, packed lunch, meal eaten at home or bought on the high street should provide around one third of your nutritional intake of energy, vitamins and minerals.
The mid-day meal is important in refuelling and helps you concentrate during the rest of the school day.
Meals eaten at school should reflect the healthy eating messages you get in other lessons such as food technology and PHSE.
Schools meals should provide a range of foods that allow you to balance your overall eating by making healthy choices and introducing you to new foods.
So What Are Secondary Schools Doing About This?
Most schools are re-thinking the food they offer, perhaps under new schemes like the National Healthy Schools programme or ”hungry for success” in Scotland. This means that schools try to make sure that they provide students with opportunities not only to eat healthily but also to be physically active, as well as learn about nutrition and other aspects of health and well being.
What Can I Do?
If you are interested in helping your school to provide healthier food choices why not speak to your form tutor. He or she should be able to tell you more about what’s going on in your school and advise you how you and your friends might be able to help. This might be through a school council or by finding out more about student views.
If you are unhappy with the food that’s on offer now, a short-term solution might be to take a packed lunch or your own snacks to school with you.
What About Vending Machines?
Vending machines can provide a significant amount of income for schools, so it’s unlikely they will go away. However many schools are looking at the types of foods and drinks that are offered in vending machines and this could mean change. In particular it should be possible to offer a greater range of sugar-free drinks and healthy snacks like fresh fruit, nuts, dried fruit and cereal bars both in break times and via vending machines.
If you want to find out more about what is happening in schools log onto:
