After years of campaigning by organisations like Sustain, as well as some extra help from a certain celebrity chef, school food has improved immensely in recent years.
The school food revolution
The changes introduced were little short of a revolution. The School Food Trust was created as an independent government body with responsibility for school food. Standards for both school meals and other food served in schools were introduced, meaning that meals were healthy and balanced, and junk food was no longer allowed in tuck shops or vending machines.
Support for the changes included funding to subsidise ingredients for healthy meals, training for school cooks and funding for kitchens.
Back to the bad old days?
But with on-going economic problems and new Government policies, there is a real risk of progress slipping. Previous funding ring-fenced for school food is now being released for schools to use for other purposes, and the remit of school inspectors Ofsted is being narrowed so that schools where the food isn’t up to scratch are less likely to be held to account.
But most worryingly, the Government has decided that the school food standards won’t apply to academies or free schools. With more than one million children attending academies, and reports of junk food being reintroduced in vending machines, there is a real risk that much of the hard work of the last few years will be undone.
Keeping up the fight
The Children’s Food Campaign is working with other food campaigners and Jamie Oliver to make sure the progress that has been made is built on rather than lost. Join us and get the latest on the campaign at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Olivers-Save-Our-School-Food/332107070136551.
Children's Food Campaign: Campaigning for policy changes so that all children can easily eat sustainable and healthy food.
