SIRC Media Watch Archive
Comment and Opinion – May 2001
Food Dudes. The government's recent announcement of a £2.2 million boost for school food programmes is clearly something that should be welcomed. It includes initiatives such as Breakfast Clubs, where children can opt in for a nutritious start to the day. It also includes opportunities for classes to grow and cook their own food, and the money will help to fund food education within the curriculum. There are, however, a couple of worrying aspects. A substantial part of this money will go towards supporting the School Fruit Programme announced earlier this year. This has been criticised by leading nutritionists such as Professor Tom Sanders who said that "too much fruit and veg in under-fives can cause malnutrition, as I have found from my studies of vegans." He also noted: "The Government could be doing a lot of damage to a sensible campaign to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption by coming up with inaccurate statements and exaggerated health claims." Full article.
