Blog 5 - Oliver slams Gove for junking healthy school dinners

Source

Garner, R. (2011, Nov. 26). The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/oliver-slams-gove-for-junking-healthy-school-dinners-6268225.html.

Jamie Oliver exposed the poor quality of school dinners in his programme
“Jamie’s school dinners” in 2005

Summary

The famous TV chef, Jamie Oliver, can start his second fight against unhealthy meals at schools. Jamie thought he had removed unhealthy food from schools, but the Education Secretary Michael Gove now decided that academy schools will be exempt from the strict nutritional standards. Six years ago Jamie Oliver started his campaign to improve school dinners, which even led to the introduction of minimum standards at schools. Oliver and even the Local Authority Catering Association believe that Mr Gove’s decision definitely will bring back unhealthy food into schools. It will undo all the good work of the last couple of years. However, it seems to be that the parents do not have any difficulties with the decision because they passed chips and burgers to their children through school railings.

 

Reaction

Although vegetables and fruit are represented at the school’s tuck shops, the children just refuse to eat them. There is no one who stimulates the students to eat healthier. It is ridiculous that parents and schools do not take their responsibilities by teaching their children to be aware of what they eat. However, the Education Secretary should really be ashamed that he allows all the junk food and snacks back into schools. It is a good idea of Jamie Oliver to pay attention to the students’ eating habits, but it is more useful to teach the right persons the consequences of junk food and snacks on the children’s lives and how they can change that.