A step in the right direction »
When the kids go back to school today, at lunchtime they will have less chips, less deep fried foods less sweets and crisps and more healthy options including vegetables.

You can hear the little ungrateful ones moaning already.

The government (“boo ! hiss !) got the celebrity cook Jamie Oliver (“bigger boo ! hiss !) in to help them redesign school dinners and make them more appetizing and healthier.

News item (with a very bad pun for the headine) from the Beeb :

Chips down as school term starts

“Pupils in England are being presented with healthier choices on the school dinner menu and in vending machines.

The Department for Education and Skills’ guidelines, which rule out “economy” sausages and burgers, come in to force as the school year starts.

Fruit and vegetables, water and more oily fish are all being encouraged. Crisps and sweets are frowned on.

The standards are aimed at not only improving pupils’ health but also their behaviour and concentration.

The guidelines are based on recommendations by the School Meal Review Panel and follow a campaign by TV chef Jamie Oliver to improve the quality of school dinners.

The sale of sweets, fizzy drinks and crisps is being banned and water and fresh fruit should be available.

Other key measures include:

• Not less than two servings per day of fruit and vegetables
• Bread should be available every day
• Free, fresh drinking water should be available
• Salt should not be available at lunch and ketchup and mayonnaise should only be available in sachets
• No more than two portions of deep-fried foods in a single week

The only savoury snacks available at lunchtime should be nuts and seeds with no added salt, fat or sugar.”

Full article » http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5305990.stm

The article goes onto say that there is a fear that schoolchildren will go round the chippy or I bet the nearest newsagents or sweet shop.
You can never stop kids from eating unhealthy and bad food. The only way to combat obesity and get the to eat healthy items is to take draconian measure like with cigarettes. They are only sold to people over 16, so how about a ban on the selling of sweets to schoolchildren during school hours ?

Nah.. it’ll never work. They’ll hang around outside the shop and get an older kid to go in for them.