Jamie Oliver calls for greater support to tackle "health crisis"

Wednesday, 5 November 2008 12:00 AM

Jamie Oliver has told the Commons Health Committee that his campaign for school children needs support from the government to end the current "health crisis".

Mr Oliver, TV chef, author and broadcaster for the series Ministry of Food argues that the £650 million given by the government to the cause is not enough. He said "When you divide it by per kid per day it does come down to pennies".

According to Mr Oliver, five years ago nutrition was a disaster and "all governments neglected it, this is the first government that had done something about it. Thank God, brilliant."

Although the government has stepped in for health equality and are working on the issue, Mr Oliver believes politicians can participate more, adding: "Often the people with the most amount of power fail to inspire head cooks and this is still a problem"

Obesity is a global concern, statistically 25 per cent of teenagers are already obese and "what we choose to do in the next ten years in incredibly important" Mr Oliver said.

The chef claimed that the media has an impact on the eating habits of children, suggesting that big business and commercial businesses were pushing nuggets and burgers into the faces of the young. He suggested that television is the leading media outlet which can promote healthy eating.

Mr Oliver said that eating affects mood, behaviour, health, growth, and the ability to concentrate. He suggests that a cultural changes needs to occur to really make an impact on nutrition.

Tags:
• health