Big changes in the catering curriculum

IT took someone like TV chef Jamie Oliver to get everyone talking about school dinners. His full frontal attack on the appalling standard of much of the food served in our schools struck a chord with many parents in the North-East

And although the Government denies that the two are related, much of the credit for this week's announcement that an extra £280m is being invested into English schools can surely be laid at Jamie's door.

The cash will be allocated from September over the next three years so schools can provide healthy food, prepared fresh on the premises by qualified cooks, rather than reheating pre-prepared foods.

The hope is that this will lead to pupils switching from an unhealthy high-fat, low-nutrition diet of burgers and "turkey twizzlers" to a more balanced mixture of vegetables, fruit, bread, cereals, potatoes, rich and pasta.

The Food Standards Agency advises everyone to try to eat a mixture of different foods from the five food groups: fruit and vegetables; bread, other cereals and potatoes; meat, fish and alternatives; foods containing fat and sugar; milk and dairy foods.

But while Jamie can claim much of the glory for forcing a new initiative on school catering, that is only part of the story. Across the North-East grassroots health workers like Sue Younghusband, a public health specialist with Durham Dales Primary Care Trust, have been working on the problem for years. Sue works with local schools, catering firms, parents and children to try to improve the nutritional quality of school meals.

Since Sue took up her present position two years ago, some progress has been made, although she accepts that a lot more work needs to be done.

Jamie Oliver's condemnation of much of the food served to our children is also very helpful to people like Sue.

"All the publicity around food in schools which Jamie Oliver has created is great as far as I am concerned," says Sue, who is a fan of the TV chef.

When she was appointed, one of the first things she did was to go into schools and ask youngsters what they thought about school dinners.

"I am a big believer in consulting young people. We needed to find out what was happening inside schools and the best way was to ask them," she says.

She also set about organising a kind of school meals summit meeting involving Wear Valley, Weardale and Teesdale, the areas covered by Durham Dales PCT. "We had this big meeting in Bishop Auckland attended by kids, teachers, heads, cooks, chefs, nutrition experts and outside caterers," she recalls.

As a result of that meeting, many schools across South West Durham are offering a healthier choice of food to children, including the greater availability of fruit and vegetables and an increasing number of salad bars. There is also closer co-operation between schools and catering firms.

By asking children for their views, Sue discovered some alarming facts.

"We got the usual complaints about the quality of school meals but other children raised some serious issues."

Some youngsters complained that their free school meal vouchers could not buy a healthy, well-balanced meal. "Others said that if they were at the end of the queue, they regularly had to settle for what was left, such as chips and a jacket potato and some were frightened to put healthier foods on to their plates because the prices were not displayed and they thought they would not have enough money," she says.

Sue was also horrified to discover that in some schools, children who took packed lunches had nowhere to eat them.

Ironically, some young people complained that they were given too much choice, while others said there was not enough choice when they filed into their school dining room.

Sue thinks the next big issue is vending machines, which often sell confectionery and sugary fizzy drinks. Some schools have agreed to stock vending machines with healthier food options and a growing numbers of schools which now have water coolers.

Liz Graham, inspector of health education for Durham County Council, acknowledges the impact Jamie has had on school meals but is also keen to stress that the issue is high on the agenda of local education authorities like Durham.

"As a county, we have been concerned for several years. Members of the council set up a working party to look at issues around school meals and we try to tie the issue of nutrition into the curriculum so the children learn about healthy eating at school," says Liz.

Schools within County Durham and Darlington are encouraged to set up nutrition action groups and about half of all schools have either achieved Healthy Schools Partnership status or are actively working towards this national standard. Advice on nutrition is also available to parents in a series of leaflets, including a guide to healthy packed lunches.

Liz says the extra cash from the Government is "very welcome" but LEAs will need more detail about how the money will be spent.

"I don't think it has been made clear whether it is on the food or on training. We need more information about where the money is going to be targeted."

But regardless of the extra Government money, Liz believes that a great deal remains to be done to change attitudes and improve awareness of healthy eating.

"On paper, there is a healthy choice at most schools but, of course, children can still make unhealthy choices from what is available. We need to work on educating the children to make healthy choices and marketing healthy food. Cooks and lunchtime supervisors have a role in this," she adds.

In another development this week, overshadowed by the Government's announcement of extra cash for school meals, what could be the first step towards providing daily food supplements to boost child development is being tried out in the Peterlee area.

Following the success of a research project which saw 120 Durham primary school children given eye q fish and evening primrose oil supplements to combat developmental problems such as dyspraxia and dyslexia, toddlers in East Durham are to be assessed as to whether they need daily supplements.

Regardless of whether this catches on, people like Sue Younghusband will return to the fray after the school holidays with a new spring in their step. "It is fabulous that Jamie is raising the profile and keeping the pressure on," she says.

NUTRITIONISTS working with County Durham schools recommend that children - and adults - should have a mix of different foods to ensure they are eating healthily.

Apart from giving advice on school dinners, they also distribute a leaflet entitled Pack A Punch With Your Lunch which tells parents how to make a healthy packed lunch (see illustrations right). A variety of foods from the different food groups will help to make the lunch box more healthy.

Diet experts stress that people don't have to give up the foods they most enjoy, but they should ensure that they eat more vegetables, fruit, bread, cereals, potatoes, rice and pasta and cut back on fatty, sugary foods.

The following food groups are particularly good for you:

* Bread, other cereals and potatoes (these starchy foods are a healthy source of energy)

* Fruit and vegetables (these foods provide vitamins, minerals and fibre)

* Meat, fish and alternatives (these foods provide protein for growth)

* Milk and dairy foods (these food provide calcium for healthy bones and teeth)

Limiting fatty and sugary foods will help protect young people from becoming overweight, and help prevent tooth decay, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.