The Channel 4 Dispatches programme entitled ‘The School Dinner Scandal’ was broadcast on Monday 10 September. In summary, the first half of the programme explored the problem of unscrupulous fast food takeaway outlets opening within the vicinity of schools and how these were tempting students out of school at lunch times to buy cheap, less healthy meals.
The second half looked at the erosion of nutritional standards as a result of the inconsistencies in how they are applied, such as a consequence of academies and free schools in England being exempt from the legislation and of the pressure on local authorities’ budgets for public services including school meals.
The programme also touched on the Leon restaurant chain co-founders being appointed to conduct a new inquiry into school food provision which will result in an action plan from them at some point in 2013.
LACA has already stated that without immediate action to establish a level playing field so that all schools are required to comply with nutritional standards, this will just allow more time for the slippage back to old ways to accelerate and for positive messages about healthy eating to be undermined.
With obesity levels and child poverty levels still rising, LACA is concerned about the impact this will have on the lives and attainment of the children who will not receive the benefits of good, nutritious food in school whilst waiting for the outcomes of another school food assessment.
The programme examined whether local authority budget cuts were having an effect on school meals services. The programme’s survey of school meal selling prices and the spend on ingredients showed variations around the country.
Unfortunately, the programme did not explain how school meal providers arrive at the selling price by explaining that the bulk of the cost of producing a school meal is both labour and overheads.
It also did not explain that the spend on ingredients is not comparable with high street prices due to the availability to school caterers of trade prices and economies of scale. Budgets and costs of labour, overheads and food vary depending upon location and other regional or local factors.
LACA comments on some specific issues raised by the programme as follows:
1. The programme stated that 83% of councils restrict takeaways opening near schools. Local councils should be applauded for the tremendous efforts they are making to prevent fast food takeaways opening within the vicinity of schools in the face of persistent commercial pressure. However, head teachers need to support the school meals service by doing more to keep secondary students on site at lunchtimes. Whilst this will not stop students buying from these outlets on the way to or after school, it will help encourage young people to learn about and make better food choices at lunch times whilst also ensuring the future of the school meals service in this country is safeguarded.
2. School meal providers prepare meals which are as nutritious and tasty as possible within the budgets available to them. Meals are prepared from fresh ingredients wherever possible and meet the requirements of nutritional standards. Providers also have to provide meals and food options that young people want to eat and at prices that they will accept, when compared with what is available in the high street. They also have to be maintained at prices parents believe they can afford, particularly at a time when family budgets are under extreme pressure.
3. The programme could have done more to illustrate the highly professional standard of school food provision in many schools around the country, although this was briefly illustrated by one school in North Somerset. Many caterers are providing nutritious, tasty and creative meals from fresh ingredients on a daily basis whilst adhering to tough nutritional standards and tight budgets.
4. During the programme, three of the Leon restaurant children’s dishes were analysed by a dietitian and were alleged to have revealed higher levels of salt and fat than was claimed on the company’s website. Hopefully this might illustrate to John and Henry, the Leon co-founders just how challenging it is for caterers to meet all of the requirements of nutritional standards for school meals. This not only involves meeting salt and fat targets but also the inclusion of 12 other nutrients over a menu cycle.