According to thisislocallondon.co.uk, a council report has shown that fewer children at schools in Redbridge are now eating school dinners. At 69 per cent, the borough has a higher than average school dinner uptake, but this number is falling as pupils reject the new meals.
Over the past year, the area’s schools have removed biscuits in favour of fresh fruit salads and students have the daily option of salad or a portion of vegetables. But the decline in those choosing to eat the dinners has raised concerns that pupils are ditching the dinners in favour of bringing their own, nutritionally-poor, packed lunches to school, the website reported.
Redbridge’s Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee chairman Cllr John Fairley-Churchill said: “It is a question of providing a good nutritional balance. If you forbid chips, children will not like it. You can't force children to eat healthy food - it is a continual education.
“You have to convince children there are exciting things to eat that are not junk food. The Jamie Oliver experience shows that if you educate children about food they will listen to you.”
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