More money spent on prison food than school lunches

Monday, 6 October 2003 12:00 AM

A new study has accused the Government of spending more money on prison food than it does on school lunches.

The Soil Association, which promotes organic food, found that the daily amount spent on each child's school lunch can be as low as 31p. This compares to the average 60p spent on a prisoner's lunch.

The 'Food for Life' report found that low quality processed food - such as breaded fish or chicken shapes - dominate school meals which are often high in fat, sugar and salt.

Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director, said that children are fed 'muck off a truck'

'The Government acknowledges there are problems and must as a first step bring back quantified nutritional standards for school meals. Then parents, schools, local authorities, food suppliers, farmers and the Government need to work together to ensure school lunches are made from unprocessed, local and organic food,' he explained.

The report calls for catering and food companies to recognise the responsibility they have to the well-being of children. The Soil Association has written to 50 major food companies that supply food to schools asking them to agree to a code of conduct which includes rules that potentially harmful food additives are not included in food destined for schools.

The Department of Education said that 'good practice identified from the Soil Association's Food For Life initiative' should be promoted.

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