Children's Food Campaign welcomes more children eating school meals

Responding to the School Food Trust announcement showing a growing number of children eating school meals, Christine Haigh of the Children's Food Campaign said: “These figures debunk the myth that children do not want to eat the new, higher quality school meals.”

She added: “But they do show that far too many children are not yet eating a healthy lunch.  Given what we know about how unhealthy the alternatives to school lunches are, it is time every primary school child received a free school meal.”

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For more information please contact Richard Watts, Sustain's Campaigns Director on 0203 5596 777 or 07710 782719.

Note to Editors:

1)     The Children's Food Campaign works to improve children's health and well-being through better food - and food teaching - in schools, and protecting children from junk food marketing.  We are supported by over 300 national and local organisations and 12,000 members of the public.  The Children's Food Campaign is coordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and is funded by the British Heart Foundation.  For more details see https://www.sustainweb.org/childrensfoodcampaign/

2)     Researchers from Plymouth University and the British Dietetic Association found last year that on average sugar and salt in packed lunches exceed Government nutritional standards introduced by the School Food Trust. 

3)     Hull Council introduced free school meals for all between 2006 and 2008, with excellent results:
· An increase in take up of school meals, including amongst those already entitled to free school meals.  
· Given the improvements in the quality of school meals, there was a substantial improvement in children's nutrition 
· Heads and teachers reported children were more relaxed and better behaved in school as a result of the scheme. 
· Around 30% of parents said they were trying healthier food at home as a result of the trial
· 89% of teachers and 90 % of parents surveyed thought that the programme was a good idea
Source: Free Healthy School Meals: what can we learn from the Hull experience?, Professor Derek Colquhoun, Institute for Learning, University of Hull

4)     Government sponsored trials of universal free school meals are starting in September in County Durham and Newham.  Islington Council are also introducing universal free school meals for under-11s at the beginning of next academic year.