The new school year in the UK heralded a fresh campaign from the Government to promote healthy eating among pupils. Trials of free lunches in primary schools and healthier alternatives for seconday school pupils have been welcomed by campaigners, although, as Michelle Russell discovers, some health groups remain unconvinced that enough is being done – by Westminster and by the food industry – to tackle child obesity.
Go deeper with GlobalData
With childhood obesity rates showing no signs of abating, the UK government has chosen the new school year to launch a series of initiatives it hopes will improve the quality and take-up of school meals in the country.
All primary school children in two areas of the UK now receive a free “healthy” lunch under a GBP40m (US$65m) two-year trial scheme.
The pilots in Newham and County Durham come amid fresh claims that school lunchboxes are still packed with the ‘wrong’ sort of food. A study at the start of September by mysupermarket.co.uk claimed that children are not being given nutritious food in their packed lunches, with parents “obliviously” packing lunchboxes with foods “laden” with fats, saturates, salt and sugar.
The latest figures from a report by the NHS on obesity in 2007/2008 show that around one in ten pupils (9.6%) aged four to five in the UK were classed as obese in 2008, compared to a fifth of pupils aged ten to 11 (18.3%).
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataIt also shows that the prevalence of obesity among children has increased since 1995, with 17% of boys aged 2 to 15, and 16% of girls classed as obese, an increase of 11% and 12% respectively since 1995.
In light of these stark statistics, children’s food campaigners have welcomed the Government’s initiatives, which also include giving secondary school pupils eating school lunches a “healthy, nutritionally balanced” meal – including vegetables, salad and fruit.
The campaigners, however, have called for more investment in school facilities so that all pupils have the opportunity to enjoy a hot midday meal, freshly prepared on site.
““The new rules on school food are good news,” Christine Haigh, a campaign co-coordinator at the Children’s Food Campaign says. “Jamie Oliver showed us what happens if you do not have rules on the quality of school food. If these new rules were removed, we’d soon be back to Turkey Twizzlers again.
Haigh adds: “We would like to see all kids get free school meals, but obviously, along with that there needs to be the facilities to provide the food to all those that want to take it up.”
Haigh said there is already evidence that the primary school trials have had “wide-ranging benefits” in getting kids to improve their eating habits at home and reducing health inequality.
 |
“There have been pilots done in Scotland and Hull previously, and it’s great that the Government are thinking about this, but actually, we think the evidence is already there, so let’s just get on with it.”
Haigh believes that ultimately it is down to parents to encourage their kids to eat healthily, and she argues that better restrictions and less “bombardment” in junk food advertising to children would help.
McCain Foods, a supplier catering to schools, agrees that as a manufacturer, it believes it has a responsibility to provide genuine healthier alternatives.
“As a responsible family-run food company, we believe that it is our responsibility to continue to do all we can through innovation, new product development and reformulation to provide genuine healthier alternatives,” Bill Bartlett, corporate affairs director of McCain Foods, says.
However, Bartlett adds that, over the past five years, McCain has reduced the levels of saturated fat and added salt across many of its existing products and introduced “new healthier products”.
“Our focus has been on making healthier versions of people’s favourite foods a reality, rather than just trying to improve the perception,” Bartlett insists.
Elsewhere, a ‘stealth’ approach is being taken by contract caterer Cucina Foods. The company believes that “adapting” foods children are familiar with can allow them to eat their favourite foods with added “goodness”.
“As a parent and an adult, I know what I want my kids to eat and I know what they should eat. But getting them to eat it because it’s healthy is a huge challenge and always has been for every parent in the country,” says Steve Quinn, managing director of Cucina Foods.
 |
“What we’ve tried to do is put food on that they’re familiar with, that they want to buy and then sneak goodness in, so they’re getting more nutrition than they would do. We call that stealthy eating. The kids are buying not because it healthy, but because it’s tasty, their friends are having it, they recognise it, it’s safe and we as caterers understand that.”
Cucina’s recipes include chocolate and beetroot brownies and pizzas with fresh dough bases that have grated carrot and courgette into the base. “There are loads of things we can do to add the flavour and the nutrition as well,” Quinn says.
He adds: “What the government are doing getting primary school children on the right wavelength is helping. We can certainly see year seven students coming to secondary schools much more aware of the foods they’re eating and they are much happier to try new things. We certainly see changes. Slowly educate rather than force kids to do things they’re not comfortable with.”
However, Quinn also believes some responsibility to encourage kids to eat healthily lies with parents at home, where habits are usually formed.
“It’s about what they do in the mornings, what they do in the evenings, what they do at the weekends, how much of a social gathering meal times are and how much importance the parents put on it as well,” he says. “I think everyone has a huge part to play.”
Lisa Miles of the British Nutrition Foundation agrees that parents should shoulder some of the responsibility but argues that, ultimately, the state should step in with more investment – and more action on advertising.
“We would like to see the state provide more help,” Miles says. “We’d like to see good food in schools, which hopefully now we’ve got with the nutritional standards we are seeing, but making sure that kids actually get that food. We would like to see better restrictions on junk food advertising to kids so they’re not being bombarded with adverts for junk food constantly.”
With obesity now one of the biggest health challenge the UK faces, health groups are keen to make parents, children and schools more aware of the increased risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease that obesity may bring.
And Miles believes it is vital people realise that the effects of eating unhealthily can start early in life.
“Setting good trends early on in children and teenage years means that they are much more likely to continue with a more healthy lifestyle, which will reduce the risk of those diseases later in life.”
However, Miles feels there is little sign of improvement in obesity rates at the current time.
Forecast projections by the NHS show that by 2010, an increase in the proportion and number of boys who are obese is expected to rise from 746,662 in 2003 to 792,321 in 2010.
However, the greatest increase is expected among girls, with around a 6% increase in obesity rates between 2003 and 2010. It is estimated that around 910,630 girls will be obese by 2010.
“I don’t think we are seeing great finds at the moment,” Miles said. “We are seeing this very high profile ‘Change4Life’ campaign and in many ways it’s great that it doesn’t make people feel bad about not having the most healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t look down on them. But, at the same time it’s supported by some of the big food manufacturers like Pepsi and Nestle, and these are the people peddling these foods. So how effective is this going to be?
“You can look at the figures on obesity. We don’t feel we are seeing the changes that need to be made yet and we’re not that optimistic quite frankly.”
