They say that as children are fed microwaves and cold meals by schools struggling with the cost of living crisis, a stronger response is needed. A copy of the leaked strategy, seen by the Guardian, shows limited ambition to tackle child nutritional poverty and obesity, with few new announcements. The White Paper refers to a 5 5 million fund for a ‘school cooking revolution’, but it περίπου 250 250 for each public school to teach students how to cook healthy food. This has disappointed activists, who hoped that Henry Dimbleby’s reviews in 2020 and last year, which advocated extending free school meals and food diets to schools, would be heeded. Instead, the government has made a vague commitment to keep eligibility for free school meals under consideration. Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, said: “The most frustrating part of the White Paper is the failure to extend the right to free school meals. “We are approaching 1 million children in poverty who do not receive free school meals. There are gaps in the food safety net and vulnerable children fall inside. “At the moment there are mandatory food standards for food for both schools and hospitals, but there is no compliance monitoring. We estimate that 60% of secondary schools fail to provide the nutritional standards that children deserve. “Catering businesses are reaching a point where it is really difficult to maintain quality. We heard reports of microwave meals instead of cooked meals to save energy costs and serving cold meals instead of hot meals to save on heating costs. “The government needs to step up to address this vital issue.” The government’s strategy also places great emphasis on individual responsibility for obesity, despite acknowledging that 64% of adults and 40% of children are overweight. Dibleby recommended taxes on sugar and salt, which would be used to fund healthy food for those in poverty, but there was nothing so ambitious in the leak of the strategy, which is expected to be published on Monday. Right-wing thinkers celebrated the lack of a tax on sugar or salt. Christopher Snowdon, head of economics and lifestyle at the Institute for Economic Affairs, said Diblby had been “taken over by activists” and “made crazy policies”. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST He urged the government: “Stop asking people to make pointless criticisms and design policies on your own! “These are unjustified mistakes and headaches that can be completely avoided.” Maxwell Marlowe, director of research and development at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “The government has a right to abandon the proposed salt and sugar taxes. With 80% of people saying they have a hard time coping, a deliberate rise in food prices and limited family options will lead to more hunger and stress in a time of historical crisis. “Moreover, as we have seen with other sugar taxes in the past, they often do not have the desired effect, with consumers replacing it with something else or just consuming more. Shrinking inflation [in which products decrease in size but the price remains the same] caused by additional levies will lead to higher sales of multiple packages and higher sugar consumption. “Sugar consumption is constantly declining due to education and social trends. “The last thing the struggling British public needs is higher prices and less incentives.”
