Responding to the announcement that the School Food Trust will lose its non-departmental public body (NDPB) status, Christine Haigh of the Children's Food Campaign said:
“This announcement is yet more evidence that the new government has failed to recognise the importance of school food. The School Food Trust has played an important role in transforming school food over the last few years, but sadly this work is far from complete.”
“While we are pleased that the School Food Trust will continue to exist as a charity, we are well aware that charities lack the status and security of funding that children's health deserves.”
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For further information, please contact Christine Haigh on 0203 5596 777 or 07870 577934, or at Christine@sustainweb.org.
Notes to editors:
1) The Children's Food Campaign wants 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 150 national organisations. The Children's Food Campaign is coordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and funded by the British Heart Foundation. For more information visit: http://www.childrensfoodcampaign.org.uk/
2) Details of the announcement are available at http://www.number10.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010-10-14-Public-bodies-list-FINAL.pdf
3) Criticisms of Jamie Oliver's school meals initiative made by Andrew Lansley in a speech to a British Medical Association conference in Brighton on 30 June. A recording is available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/10459744.stm. For more information see https://www.sustainweb.org/news/lansley_oliver_clash_july_2010.
4) The cancellation of plans to extend free school meal eligibility to primary school children from working families below the poverty line, and to trial universal free school meals in five areas of England, were announced in a letter from Education Secretary Michael Gove to shadow Education Secretary Ed Balls on 7 June. The letter can be accessed at http://www.education.gov.uk/news/news/~/media/Files/lacuna/letters/MichaelGovetoEdBallsCuts.ashx
Children's Food Campaign: Campaigning for policy changes so that all children can easily eat sustainable and healthy food.
