Primary pupils take the healthy meal route

7:48am Sunday 13th July 2008

MORE children in Bolton are tucking into a healthy school meal than pupils nationally.

New figures show that the number of primary pupils eating school dinners nationally has risen for the first time since healthier meals were introduced, according to a study published by the School Food Trust and the Local Authority Caterers Association.

Take up across primary schools in England now stands at 43.6 per cent, an increase of 2.3 per cent on last year.

But in Bolton, the latest figure is 47 per cent and that is set to rise later this year when the £1.70 daily charge for meals is scrapped for all reception children starting in September.

In total, there has been a rise in the number of children taking meals in secondary and primary schools from 44.5 per cent in 2005/6 to 49 per cent in 2006/07 - four per cent above the national average.

But the national picture shows that secondary school pupils are bucking the trend, with take up down 0.5 per cent this year, the survey found.

The last time take up of school meals increased was in 2004, the year before TV chef Jamie Oliver began his campaign for better quality school dinners.

After Oliver's campaign won huge public support, ministers banned junk food from school dining halls and vending machines, and in 2006 new rules to make food healthier were introduced for schools in England.

Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council's executive member for environmental services, which covers school meals, said: "I am pleased that Bolton has retained its higher than national average uptake.

"Bolton Schools Meal Services does tremendous work in providing healthy but imaginative meals. With the new initiative in September, uptake in school meals should increase with children developing healthy eating habits which will stop the drop in uptake when they go to secondary school.

"Developing healthy lifestyles in Bolton is very important. Statistics show that children here are less healthier than those nationally.

"Developing healthy lifestyles is important to tackle obesity and improves academic achievement."

Jamie Oliver said: " I always said this would take 10 years to really see results but it looks like the corner has been turned, certainly in primary schools, in just three years. A new generation of primary schoolchildren are now getting proper meals at school and as they move up the school system we should start to see this having an impact on food choices in secondary schools."

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