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Hounslow Liberal Democrats |
LETTER: Jamie's Dinners
April 3, 2005 12:00 AM
Andrew Dakers explains why he signed the petition at www.FeedMeBetter.com
As many commentators have noted, the government's decisions on school dinners in the past few weeks seem rather too much like bandwagon politics. After a complete absence of any action in the previous eight years it is a sad indictment of Labour's effectiveness in government that it takes the intervention of a celebrity chef to spark some action. Was it that hard to figure out?
Of real concern to me is whether the £280m over three years will be enough to create the turnaround in school dinners Jamie Oliver champions. Certainly Ruth Kelly shouldn't be wasting taxpayers' money on a new quango - the School Food Trust - to tell her about healthy eating, when sensible nutritional guidelines have already been developed by reputable bodies such as the Food Standards Agency.
The Conservatives must take a lot of the blame for getting us in this mess. Last time they were in government they abolished nutritional standards for school meals and allowed local education authorities to cut corners on catering.
The Liberal Democrats have raised the conspicuous absence of a commitment to strict nutritional standards for school dinners in the government's recent announcement. Schools need to provide well balanced meals, rich in fruit and vegetables, that are attractive to young children. That is the challenge we must meet if we are to change the eating habits of a generation. As Jamie Oliver proved I believe this can only be achieved by limiting the choice in schools to healthy options. Why spend on our children's education and then have it undermined by obesity, malnutrition and sugar fuelled hyperactivity?
Like 170,000+ others I signed the Feed Me Better petition two weeks ago. I will continue to push for and support the changes required in Hounslow and I hope also as your future representative in Westminster.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dakers
Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Brentford & Isleworth
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