Schools ready to fight the flab

Man schools say the healthy eating message is getting through

MPs may be worried about the problem of obesity but many schools in North Yorkshire are already rising to the challenge of encouraging healthy eating.

The Commons Health Select Committee has attacked the government, food industry and advertisers for failing to act to stop rising levels of obesity.

But in the the village of Cawood near Selby, 16 junior schools each have their own allotments at a horticultural research facility in a project financed by EU and Defra.

The children and teachers visit their 16m by 12m plots at Sockbridge Technology Centre four times a year to sow, weed and harvest a range of vegetable crops.

Some of the produce is used in schools meals, with the rest taken home by the children.

"What we are trying to do is get children to reconnect with where food comes from," said Julian Davies at Stockbridge who is not surprised at the MPs' finding about how fat we are getting.

"You've only got to look around you to see that."

Everything is porduced fresh in our kitchens every day Gill Hardacre Kirkbymoorside Community Primary school

He also identifies another problem about eating healthily.

"We don't know how to cook any more apart from heating up prepared meals."

This is a point being addressed in Kirkbymoorside where three local primary schools have joined together to source their meat, vegetables and fruit form the many local suppliers rather than have raw materials brought in from miles away.

"Everything is produced fresh in our kitchens every day," explained Gill Hardacre, the head of Kirkbymoorside Community Primary School.

"If we are making potato wedges, we start with real locally grown potatoes rather than something that comes from a packet.

"The children all eat the fresh vegetables very happily."

The new range of school dinners was introduced in October 2003.

Since then, there has been a small increase in the number of children taking school dinners.

And from September, parents are being invited into school to show the sort of cooking that can be done and to spread the healthy eating message.

The schools are trying to use fresh ingredients

Another North Yorkshire school that has decided to offer something different for its students is Aidan's Church of England High School in Harrogate

In 1999, only 30% of the 1,700 pupils were eating school meals and Deputy Head Steve Hatcher decided something had to be done.

"As a teacher and as a parent I was offended by the food that was available to youngsters," he said.

His solution was to break away from the usual council and commercial meal providers.

The school decided to employ its own catering manager and out of 125 applicants chose Trevor Whitehead who came with 25 years experience in the restaurant and hotel trade.

He threw out the tired old kitchen equipment and retained the staff.

Fizzy drinks

Part of Mr Whitehead's approach was to make sure that all meals are freshly prepared,.

Chips are served once a week and only as part of a full meal.

Children are now choosing to eat vegetables and salads although beefburgers and fish fingers are still available.

Even sales of bottled water have increased and the consumption of fizzy drinks has declined.

Nine of out ten St Aidan's pupils are now having school lunches.

Typical menu items are lamb and vegetable casserole, lasagne with salad leaves, and gammon steak with croquette potatoes.

Mr Hatcher concludes: "We have proved that if you give children a nice environment and fantastic food, they can only react one way, and that's positive."