School dinners go healthy from this week

LONDON, Sep 4 (Reuters) New government guidelines on healthier school meals came into force today with the aim of cutting child obesity by driving out junk food, especially reconstituted meat products.

Fruit, vegetables, and fish will all be encouraged at the expense of burgers, chicken nuggets, crisps and sweets.

Pupils will be given a minimum of two portions of fruit and vegetables a day while oily fish must be offered at least once every three weeks.

In addition, salt cellars will be barred from table tops while ketchup and mayonnaise will only be offered in sachets, not bottles.

The shift away from salty, fatty foods on school menus has gathered pace since a television series by chef Jamie Oliver exposed the low nutritional levels of much school food.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson said he expected the new rules to have a profound effect.

''Tackling obesity and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is not just about the food that children eat at school, we must also teach them the skills they need to cook so that they continue to eat healthily in later life,'' he said in a statement.

The move to promote healthy eating was welcomed by Chris Keates, General Secretary of NASUWT, the largest union representing teachers and headteachers.

''The link between diet and pupils' behaviour and educational progress is undeniable,'' he said.

''Schools will, therefore, welcome the extension of the transitional funding to improve the ingredients of school meals.'' Johnson has acknowledged previous attempts to offer healthy options alongside the twizzlers and burgers had not worked because pupils tended to go for the fatty, salt-ridden option.

''Getting rid of mechanically recovered meat is something that should have been done a long time ago,'' he told BBC radio.

Johnson said he wanted school children to acquire basic cooking skills from 2008.

Although nearly all schools offer subjects like food technology, these classes did not invariably mean students actually cooked anything.

''We want to ensure that cooking returns to the curriculum,'' he added.

REUTERS SSC PC1706