Children 'avoiding healthy foods'

The report claimed students continue to reject healthy school dinners

Some secondary students in east London are skipping lunch in order to fill up on junk food on their way home from school, researchers have claimed.

The study by City University London examined lunchtime eating habits of children in Tower Hamlets.

It claimed that while students know school canteens offer healthy food, they tend to avoid it.

Researchers said schools with a 'closed gate' policy were more successful in keeping students away from takeaways.

On average, there are 36 fast food outlets per secondary school in Tower Hamlets, compared to a national average of 23.

Dr Martin Caraher of the university's Centre for Food Policy, claimed students are "drowning" in junk food options.

He added: "We were shocked by the lengths students will go to to avoid healthy food in schools and by the extent to which they are surrounded by a culture of fast food outside the gates."

'On the move'

The study found that in addition to not eating during the school day, some students are finding covert ways of bringing junk food into school via classmates who have permission to go off school grounds.

The research, which only looked at Tower Hamlets and used interviews with students, surveys and observations of takeaway shops in the area, recorded many students as eating 'on the move' to and from school rather than taking a proper lunch.

Students said they felt that school food was poor value compared to the high street chip shops.

The research comes after another east London council, Waltham Forest, proposed banning new takeaways from opening close to schools.

Dr Caraher's report calls for councils to work with fast food outlets to improve food labelling and encourage them to offer healthier choices.