"Stop poisoning our children..."
Martin Wicks
These were the
words of a woman on Jamie Oliver’s “Feed me better” web site. Oliver’s TV
programme and his campaign for a “School Dinners Revolution” have brought to
light one of the scandals of British society. Perhaps it has come as a shock to
some people to discover that 37p is devoted to each child eating school meals.
Of course, many children eat junk at home as well. But the statistics tell a
story. Over 15% of British children are obese, whilst 92% eat more saturated
fats than are the recommended maximum intake for adults.
Despite the fact
that he was polite when talking about Minister Ruth Kelly, on Radio 4, Oliver
pointed out the obvious. The junk food should be stopped rather than ‘standards’
improved. Children should be provided with fresh food, freshly cooked. His
programme shows how this can be done. But this being a New Labour government,
desperate not to be seen as ‘anti-business’, Kelly wants to restrict the amount
of fat, salt and sugar in the slop dished out at schools and continue to feed
children with the processed foods which have made the big food companies very
rich indeed.
The government
has set up ‘new school trust’ supposedly to improve food in schools. She has
invited the private companies who make a goodly profit by feeding children this
junk, to join it. As Oliver pointed out, these companies provide 40% of schools
meals. Such a Trust should be independent of them, he said.
In very little
time at all Oliver’s on-line petition ("I believe kids need a healthy diet so we
need to change school dinners to ban the junk and get fresh, nutritious meals
back on the plate. I support the Feed Me Better campaign.") has been signed by
well over 2,000 people many of whom have included their comments. From these it
is obvious that he has struck a rich chord. Many parents send their kids off
with a packed lunch rather than let them eat the school schools meals offered.
One of the issues
Oliver raises is the treatment of the ‘dinner ladies’, whose average wage is £82
a week. He wants investment made in the staff. He sees them as performing an
important role.
Whilst some
people might be sceptical about the motives of a multi-millionaire, the fact is
that Oliver talks much sense, and the issues he is raising provide an
opportunity, should they wish to take it, for the trades unions, particularly
those whose members work in school meals to pick up this baton and run with it.
Their members, better than anybody else, can tell the story of what has happened
to school meals. From the 1980s, at least, school meals staff progressively had
their hours cut, cooking was done elsewhere (the famous cook-chill method was
introduced). The ‘independence’ of schools from Education Authorities meant that
they were always under financial pressure.
Privatisation of
school meals led to staff being treated like serfs, passed from local councils
to private companies, and sometime onto other private companies. Of course, by
now, the staff, in line with local education in general, are only paid during
term time.
Financial
pressures, mimicking what happened in the USA, led to sponsorship by private
companies including the big food companies. The selling off of sports fields to
companies in return for school buildings has lessened the chances of physical
activity.
Of course, the
transformation of school meals mimics what has happened in society outside
school. In particular the bombarding of young people with advertising of the
junk food variety has impacted on diets. At home many families do not sit round
the table for a meal as they used to do.
There is plenty
of evidence that E-additives and high levels of salt and sugar have created
havoc not only with the health of children but with their behaviour as well. In
the American Film, “Supersize Me”, we see the health of the presenter who lives
on a diet of fast food for a month, deteriorate to such a degree that his life
is under threat. In the same film we learn about schools in the US where they
have gone over to local produce, freshly cooked. Not only was it a healthier
option, but the behaviour of the children improved.
Oliver’s campaign
provides an opportunity for the unions to popularise the return of school meals
in-house, to support the junking of junk food, to support his call for
investment in school meals staff (including higher wages), and to demand that
the government increase the money available for local authorities for the
provision of school meals.
This is not only
an issue for the unions with school meals members. Education unions as a whole
should pick up this campaign, come together and mobilise to push back the
privatisation and commercialisation agenda of this government.
The issues raised
by Jamie Oliver are fundamentally related to the impact of neo-liberalism on
schools, of which school meals is only one aspect. One of the signers of
Oliver’s petition, involved with schools in East Lothian, says:
“Like hospitals,
food in schools should be seen as a service to benefit the recipient rather than
profit making at the expense of the next generation.”
The big food
companies, particularly those that produce the ubiquitous ready meals, have got
away with murder, given the content of their products. The private caterers, who
come out of the same school, so to speak, should be given the boot. To stop this
poisoning of our children it is necessary to take the profit motive out of
education and school meals in particular. The trades unions can show by taking
up this complex of issues that they are concerned not only with the interests of
their members but the health of a new generation. Moreover, we see here what
‘the market’ so beloved of the New Labour crowd, is responsible for.
You can visit the
web site at:
www.feedmebetter.com
Here is a
cross-section of views sent in:
“Having been at an enlightened school prior to privatised dinner contracts it is
imperative that we break free of the shackles of the big food processors who
will not like this. To save a nation from diabetes and other ailments and ever
more pressure on the future services of the NHS...... We have been warned!”
“I'm
a qualified chef and have worked in some of the top hotels in London. I left
London and had two kids, now they are going to school, the only 'catering' job I
could find to fit in with my kid's was a school dinner lady. I am 100% behind
what Jamie is doing and am so pleased that someone I went to college with is
standing up for our voiceless children! I am ashamed of the food I serve up,
salty, processed junk. I have offered to work unpaid overtime in order for me to
make 'home made' food and offered suggestions of how recipes could be made more
healthy; but no one is interested or cares. profit is their only concern. Up the
revolution!”
“Children in townships in Jo'berg eat better than children in schools in the UK.
It is outrageous that we are raising the first nation of children who will die
before their parents since the Industrial revolution just because we're feeding
them shite. If we can afford to bomb Iraq then we can afford to spend 50p per
child on school dinners.”
“I
used to be a dinner lady at a primary school in the 80s - the kids LOVED their
meals - proper balanced meals and games lessons all go to help produce healthy
kids!”
“Studying dietetics at Leeds met, I am well aware of the health risks linked to
unbalanced diets. It is disgusting that more can't be done for children who help
keep the chocolate, crisp, soft drink manufacturers in business. I say up the
tax on the multinationals who have made massive fortunes with little conscience
at the expense of children’s health. A developed society?....I don't think so.”
“Ten
years ago I worked in a primary school. Some of us on the staff were very
concerned about the food on offer at break and mealtimes. However we could not
persuade the senior management to change anything. I am so pleased to sign up to
this campaign and wish it well.”
“I
work for the GMB union which has members in school meals. My mother used to work
in school meals for years. Her hours were progressively cut as cooking on site
became a thing of the past. The commercialisation of education started the rot,
at least in the 1980's. In Swindon now, we have school meals staff treated like
serfs, passed around from education authority, to private company, to private
company. Decent food in schools and staff trained and on decent wages, are
connected with junking this commercialisation process. Jamie was very polite
about the government and Ruth Kelly on Radio 4's Food Programme. But he is right
that the private companies who now provide 40% of school meals should not be
involved in any Trust designed to improve school meals. They are only interested
in a fast buck. That is why they provide rubbish food and treat the staff as a
cheap labour force, so that their profits are driven up. Junking the junk food
means junking the commercialisation of education. Congratulations to Jamie on
challenging what is a national scandal; poisoning our kids at the altar of
profit.”
February 2005