Leicester nutritional therapist: school dinner changes ‘focus too much on calories’
The government is taking some items off the menu to bring down obesity
There are concerns in the East Midlands that school dinner changes are focusing 'too much on calories and not enough on proper nourishment'.
Certain items are coming off the school dinner menu to drive down childhood obesity and tooth decay.
How are school dinners changing?
Deep-fried food will be banned from school menus and sugary treats limited as part of an overhaul.
Desserts like ice cream and waffles and baked goods such as puddings and cakes will be served only once a week and need to contain at least 50% fruit under new rules proposed by the Government.
Schools will no longer be able to offer unhealthy “grab and go” options such as sausage rolls and pizza every day, and deep-fried food will be eliminated from menus entirely as part of the plan.
'Body image'
Louise Mercieca is a nutritional therapist in Leicestershire and has also written books on child-nutrition, working with Nurseries and education providers to show the link between food and early childhood development.
She told us: "These changes need to be about much more than obesity. Food plays a part in concentration and regulating emotions.
"This is to fuel child development and that their brain is growing throughout school. That should be the messaging, focusing on obesity could impact their body image," she said.
Parents footing the bill...
While Louise welcomes the news, she said the project needs to be well thought-out: "The price of a school meal is super low, but healthier foods can be more expensive.
"The rollout will be really important. If food becomes more expensive then parents will have to find more money to feed their child every day.
"Sometimes the unhealthy options are easier because they are cheaper for families," she said.
The Prime Minister said: “We’re improving the quality of food served in schools so parents can count on their children getting healthy meals."
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the proposals were “the most ambitious overhaul of school food in a generation” and were “long overdue”.
“Every child deserves to have delicious, nutritious food at school that gives them the energy to concentrate, learn and thrive – meals that children will actually recognise and enjoy, backed by robust compliance so that good standards on paper become good food on the plate,” she said.