22 March 2006
A year of healthy eating – and 30 million chips that weren’t eaten
Greenwich Council and pupils of Boxgrove primary school in Abbey Wood celebrated a year of healthy, fresh-cooked, chip-free eating when they marked the first anniversary of the borough’s transformation of its school meals.
Daily meals at Boxgrove, along with those at more than 80 other schools across the borough, now use nothing but fresh ingredients, having banished chips and processed foods from the menu completely.
Greenwich’s transformed menus captured the national headlines when they featured at the centre of Channel 4’s award-winning TV series Jamie’s School Dinners. The programme was first screened 12 months ago, and the resulting publicity had a direct influence in boosting the support by central Government for school meals, as well as helping create a greater national awareness of the importance of a healthy diet.
With around 2.9 million meals served in Greenwich schools each year, the Council estimates that over the past 12 months the following processed ingredients would have been consumed had the menus remained unchanged:
· 30 million chips
· 660,000 fish fingers
· 337,000 burgers
· 255,000 turkey drummers
· 227,000 sausage rolls
· 110,000 chicken dinosaurs
Greenwich Council Leader Chris Roberts said, 'In Greenwich we are tremendously proud of what we have achieved in transforming our school meals. Our schools are now widening their healthy schools programmes to include a range of schemes related to diet, self esteem and physical activity, and the forthcoming London Olympics will provide a further boost to this work.'
Cllr Jagir Sekhon, Greenwich Council cabinet member for health, who attended the celebration, added, 'It is such a delight to visit a schools like Boxgrove and to see how fully the children, the teachers and the other school staff, have taken the healthy eating message to their heart.
'They clearly understand the role that a good diet plays in children’s development. It’s not just crucial to their physical health – there is also growing evidence of the role of diet in improving children’s concentration and their ability to learn.'
Chris Owen, head teacher at Boxgrove, said, 'Everyone is delighted with the new healthy menus, which is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of head cook Maggie Cheeseman and her colleagues. The school meals have given a real boost to our healthy schools programme, and the children now have a much greater awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and healthy body.
'We’re now looking forward to setting up a growing project in the school. With a chance to plant and harvest the food, children will get an even better understanding of what they are eating, where the food comes from, and what goes into producing it.'
ENDS
Media information:
Greenwich Council communications: Andrew Stern 020 8921 5043
Notes to editors:
1 Photos available – contact the press office
2 As a result of the 2006/7 Council Budget, which was agreed by the Full Council on 22 February, resources allocated for school meals will rise by more than £600,000. The extra cash will go towards a 23p increase in the subsidy per meal for nursery, primary and special schools. The value of a free school meal voucher in secondary schools will rise by 10p to £1.50.
3 Around 17,000 school meals are served each day in Greenwich schools – all cooked from fresh ingredients. All 81 schools in Greenwich that use the Council’s in-house catering service are now serving the freshly-cooked meals that were developed with Jamie Oliver, and which featured on Jamie’s School Dinners, broadcast during March 2005 on Channel 4.