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Looking at the future

3rd April 2009, 4:22pm

Campaigns such as Change4Life aim to galvanise the nation to tackle obesity and its impact, and secure the health of future generations. Doesn't that make school meals the ideal place to start? Clare Riley reports.

Obesity in the last 20 years has trebled. It is a well documented fact that 70% of girls and 55% of boys will be overweight or obese by 2050. Sandra Russell, immediate past chair of LACA believes that the people feeding these children are deeply committed to their cause and that it isn't too late to turn these worrying statistics around.

"I think we need to invest in the future to improve on today. We should always be looking forward. I don't think we have never not learnt from the past and I, like many of you, believe that through the deregulation of school meals and the cheapest is best scenario, we are now living the legacy of that generation," said Russell.

Caterers are now serving less than 50% of all students attending schools across the country and Russell told delegates that there is a will to move the school meals service forward but that it can't be done single handedly. She quoted Ed Balls who last year said that ministers were right to bring in the stringent Nutrient Standards but that if at any stage progress needs reviewing and evaluating those steps will be taken. She added that in her view the school meals programme has now reached that stage.

Assessing the various healthy eating schemes that have entered the public arena, Russell explained how school caterers are being overlooked when government departments compile reports that deal with the very nature of the school meals service.

"I was at a conference last year and there was a 20 minute seminar about healthy schools, how the scheme works and how it is helping. Do you know that school meals and school food were not mentioned once in that presentation. There was no representation about the part we play or how we can work together. That was a Department of Health (DoH) presentation," said Russell.

The 'Healthy Lives: Brighter Future' initiative was another example that she drew on to highlight the government's lack of consideration. In the 110-page document from the DoH and Department for Children, Schools and Families, not once were school caterers mentioned prompting Russell to ask delegates: "Can we not contribute to healthy lives and brighter futures?"

She added that the sheer volume of healthy eating initiatives is beginning to distract many caterers: "All of these schemes that are going on in the background are going some way to diluting our ability to focus on one element. We need to work together to work towards our common aim of improving the health of our children."

Heads of schools were a recurring theme during the LACA Summit with Russell adding weight to the argument that to make change happen head teachers must start to take an active interest in the impact of school meals, make the most of the resources available to them and above all forge relationships with caterers.

Many recommendations were put forward by Russell including adding food to the curriculum, improving dining areas and extending lunch breaks past 30 minutes: "We have to position the service so it is attractive and if we do this we will serve more pupils. What we can do is recognise the limitations that we encounter on a day to day basis. If we are really, really serious about each child needing 14 nutrients on a daily basis then the only way we can guarantee that is with a set, standard meal of the day."

All these recommendations and ideas can go some way to improving the school meals service and making it more appealing to its customers. But as schools continue to move forward and take a 'whole school approach', the general consensus seems to suggest that a similar tactic is needed from the government.