BBC reports LACA warning on return of unhealthy food to schools
LACA chair Lynda Mitchell’s comments about concerns caterers have about the return to schools of unhealthy snacks are being reported on the BBC website.
She’s reported as saying that six years after the Jamie Oliver campaign and the introduction of strict nutritional guidelines, LACA members are getting requests for fatty foods and sweets.
The requests are from some of England's new academy schools, which do not have to follow the guidelines.
The BBC website story reports the government saying it trusts schools to act in their pupils' best interests and that it has no reason to believe academies will not provide healthy, balanced meals that meet the current nutritional standards.
Lynda’s response to these comments is: “Our members are telling us that they have been approached by academies to relax the rules and as providers to hundreds of thousands of schools we are concerned.
"They are being asked to put confectionery and other snacks back, especially at mid-morning. It is the return of the sausage roll to schools."
She is reported as saying caterers are mostly being asked to put snacks in to vending machines in schools.
"It's a very small step before you are seeing the introduction of confectionery and fizzy drinks back in to those machines."
The report concludes with comments from a spokesman for the Department for Education, who says the school food regulations are the "benchmark of high standards".
"We trust schools to act in the best interest of their pupils - they know the importance of healthy school dinners and the benefits they bring," he said.
"We have no reason to believe that academies will not provide healthy, balanced meals that meet the current nutritional standards. In fact, the School Food Trust tells us that some of the best schools in terms of attitudes to food and meals are academies."
He added that the government was asking the School Food Trust to carry out a small study of some academies to look at their approach to providing healthy school food to pupils.
The BBC website story can be viewed by clicking on the link below