Free secondary school meals piloted

Secondary school pupils are to be offered free school dinners as part of a pilot scheme being launched in Newham, east London and County Durham. Children's Secretary, Ed Balls unveiled the plans as ministers also introduce new nutritional standards in secondary schools to try and tackle the problem of childhood obesity and poor behaviour in the classroom. Mr Balls said: "We want to make sure that children are getting a healthy, balanced meal at school which is why we have introduced the new nutrient standards. Teenagers are the hardest group to reach but that doesn't mean giving up, we must simply work harder to encourage them away from the take-away and into their school canteen. "The Government is creating a legacy of healthy eating in children from a young age so by the time they reach secondary school they are more likely to want to eat a school meal." The Tories have questioned whether the Government can fund the £1 billion needed to roll the free school meal scheme out nationwide and have said the plan is "completely unrealistic". The new nutrient standards, already mandatory in primaries, mean that an average school lunch must now contain at least one portion of vegetable or salad, and one portion of fruit. Fat, sugar and salt is restricted and each meal must contain minimum levels of nutrients including iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins.

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ITN | September 3, 2009

Tags:. .mandatory. .newham. .canteen. .unrealistic. .nationwide