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JOHNSON ANNOUNCES MULTI-MILLION POUND PACKAGE TO IMPROVE SCHOOL FOOD AND FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY
04 September 2006
A new multi-million pound package of measures to embed the school food revolution for the long term and help tackle childhood obesity was announced today by Education Secretary Alan Johnson.
The new measures are in addition to the £220m already going to schools and local authorities to support the new nutritional standards which start when schools return this week.The package includes:o £240m to continue to subsidise healthy ingredients until 2011 after the current £220m transitional fund runs out in 2007/08;o training kitchens - £2m for the establishment of a network of regional training kitchens to act as centres of excellence, hosting the area's school cooks for training on day release; o an entitlement to learn to cook - pupils' entitlement to cookery courses in secondary schools from 2008 so that healthy cooking stays with children for life;o a specific fund for building kitchens - in addition to the multi-billion pound Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital Programme, funding will be made available from 2008 to local authorities that have the most need for new kitchens; and o increasing tendering opportunities for small and local producers – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will work to increase their capacity to bid successfully for contracts to supply schools with food, in particular by helping them to collaborate in consortia and with the rest of the food chain.Alan Johnson said:“We have already invested heavily to radically transform school food and with today’s announcement of extra funding we’re taking another big step to ensure parents know pupils will get the nutrients they need during the school day and that school cooks get the kitchens and training they need to deliver healthier food.“But tackling obesity and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is not just about the food that children eat at school, we must also teach them the skills they need to cook so that they continue to eat healthily in later life.“There are schools throughout the country who have been working towards this for years – they are to be praised. Our food reforms and extra money will ensure healthy school meals are the norm in every school, every day. We want to build on this to ensure the healthy eating habit young people learn in school is also taken with them into their adult lives.”The £240m cash injection will be given directly to local authorities and schools to subsidise ingredients for healthy meals after the end of the current £220m transitional fund in 2007/08.A network of training schools for schools cooks will be staffed by experts in healthy cooking to boost the skills of the lunchtime workforce through tailored courses and mentoring. They are likely to be set up in schools and colleges that already have excellent food preparation facilities with £2m of Government funding available to upgrade them where necessary. This will complement and build on training they have already received from the £220m invested in school food reforms. The School Food Trust will play an active role in taking this forward. The entitlement to cook will mean that every young person who wants to can learn basic cooking skills through dedicated lessons in food preparation techniques, diet and nutrition, hygiene and safety, and wise food shopping. This will be in addition to changes in Food Technology that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is already considering to make lessons more practical.Local authorities will also be invited to bid for extra capital money to be spent on building school kitchens where they currently have none. This will come on top of the record capital funding already going to every school and every Local authority and the Government’s unprecedented multi-billion pound school rebuilding programmes, Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programme.In addition the Department for Education and Skills will be issuing new design guidance on kitchens and dining areas to be published early 2007; reinforcing kitchens as a priority in all other building guidance; and holding a planned review of School Premises Regulations to include a greater specification on standards that kitchens should meet.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will help increase the capacity of small and local producers to bid successfully to supply fruit, vegetable, dairy and meat for school meals either directly or via wholesalers and other primary suppliers. This will include encouraging more farmers and growers to work together to supply schools with sustainable, fresh produce. Defra is also planning to launch a Year of Farming and Food to help improve young peoples’ understanding of where food comes from.The package of measures is intended to build on the money, training and improvements that have already been delivered to every school in every local authority. A recent School Food Trust survey showed that spending per plate last term was already 52p for primary schools and 67p for secondary schools. A survey carried out by Sustain in April this year found that local authorities said they are ready and willing to meet the new standards for food when they come into force in September 2006. Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
1. The minimum nutritional standards are published at www.teachernet.gov.uk/healthyliving 2. In addition to increasing school funding by 50% since 1997, the Government is investing £220 million to help schools and local education authorities invest in school meals, training and increased hours for cooks, and kitchen equipment. Some £60 million has already been invested, with a further £160m over the following two years. The new £240m will go to schools and LAs across 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11.3. Capital spending is at record levels with total available in 2006/07 at £5.8bn rising to over £8bn in 2010-11.4. The Government has asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to consider how to put a greater emphasis on teaching pupils practical cooking skills in secondary schools for 11 to 14 year olds. Alongside giving children better meals, we want to ensure that they learn about diet, nutrition, food safety & hygiene, practical food preparation and cooking. Preparing and cooking food is a key skill that will benefit them as they move into adulthood and independence. The entitlement to learn to cook will build on this.Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2006/0121
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