Islington MP Calls for Action on School Meals

Wednesday 12th October 2005

Emily Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, met award-winning food writer Sophie Grigson in the House of Commons at the Parliamentary launch of the Children’s Food Bill. The Private Members’ Bill, put forward by Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield and a former leader of the Labour Group in Islington, was launched during National School Meals Week. Emily Thornberry MP has a record of campaigning for better school meals and is a sponsor of the Bill.  The Bill would result in a ban on the advertising of junk food to children and improve food education. Meanwhile, Islington school children continue to eat poor quality meals because of the Liberal Democrat Council’s refusal to act.

Emily Thornberry MP said:

 “I am very pleased to be a sponsor of Mary’s Children’s Food Bill. It aims to stop the marketing of fatty, sugary and salty foods to children, and to equip all school children with cooking skills.  The Government’s proposals to improve school food and remove unhealthy foods from school vending machines is good news for children’s health, but even more needs to be done to address increasing rates of childhood obesity. I am particularly proud that Mary Creagh, a former Leader of the Labour Group in Islington and fellow Islington mother, is pushing this issue in Parliament with me. I continue to be concerned that Scolorest, of turkey twizzler fame, provides school dinners in our primary schools. I hear mixed reports about Scolorest and the Council’s efforts to improve meals. I would be very interested to hear more from other parents about this.’

Emily Thornberry has been a long-time campaigner on school meals. She raised the school meals in October of 2004, before the issue hit the headlines as a result of Jamie Oliver’s TV programme [See The Islington Tribune front page on 1st October 2004]. In October 2004, Emily Thornberry commented on food at William Tyndale School, which two of her children attended:

‘My understanding is that meals arrive in metal trolleys and sit there until they are dished out. It’s appalling. You just hope the food stays warm. But mostly it’s cold, bad food. I find it alarming. Even if children are entitled to free school dinners they are not taking them because the food’s so bad. Their mums have to provide packed lunches – it’s shocking.’
 
The Bill is attracting significant support in Parliament and more than 200 MPs, including Emily Thornberry, have signed a House of Commons Early Day Motion in support of the Children’s Food Bill, which has its second reading on 28th October 2005. The Bill is also supported by 150 national organisations and thousands of concerned parents.

Sophie Grigson joined more than twenty other top chefs and food writers this week including Gary Rhodes, Nigel Slater, Raymond Blanc and Antony Worrall Thompson to write an open letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to support the Bill and protect children from junk food marketing. Sophie Grigson said:

“To change children’s attitudes to food, we need to improve their food environments both in and out of school.  As well as presenting good appetising food on their plates, we must protect children from advertisements which promote unhealthy food and drinks, and make sure they learn the skills that enable them to prepare delicious healthy food from fresh ingredients”.

Notes to Editors:

1.
 The Children’s Food Bill Parliamentary launch took place on Wednesday 12 October 2005 from 3.15pm – 5.15pm in the Jubilee Room in the House of Commons.  A copy of the Bill can be viewed here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmbills/023/2006023.htm

The launch took place ahead of the Bill’s Second Reading on Friday 28 October and was attended by MPs and supporting organisations.

Speakers included:

Mary Creagh MP
Sophie Grigson, Award winning food writer and broadcaster
Debbie Coulter, Deputy General Secretary, GMB Union
Caroline Seddon, Head of Science and Education, British Medical Association
Rodney Bickerstaffe, Past General Secretary, Unison
Christine Blower, Deputy General Secretary, National Union of Teachers

The event was kindly funded by the GMB union and the British Medical Association.

2. National School Meals Week 2005 ‘Get Wise to Food – It Matters’ takes place 10th -14th October, and is sponsored by the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), see: www.laca.co.uk/nsmw.asp 

3. The open letter to the Prime Minister from the 23 Chefs and food writers can be accessed at: http://www.sustainweb.org/pdf/10_10_05b.pdf

4. The Government’s intention to introduce minimum nutrient standards for school meals and to remove junk foods from school vending machines was announced by Ruth Kelly at the Labour Party conference on Wednesday 28th September. 

These proposals are now subject of a DfES consultation, details of which are available from: www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/

5. A list of the MPs who have signed the ‘Children’s Food’ Early Day Motion, EDM 378, in support of the Bill, is available from:  http://edmi.parliament.uk/edmi/

6. The 150 national organisations already support the campaign for the Children’s Food Bill includes many prominent medical, health and consumer organisations, professional associations and children’s charities – a full list is available from:  www.sustainweb.org/child_sup.asp