Some academies ignoring healthy food guidelines, report says

Article by Denis Campbell in The Guardian (14 May 2012)

"A new report reveals that many academies are selling unhealthy food and drinks that are banned in other schools. Now doctors and campaigners are calling on the government to intervene.


When Michael Gove wrote to Jamie Oliver last August in response to the chef's concerns about the coalition's school food policies, he could not have been more soothing. He noted – but discounted – Oliver's fear about academies not having to follow the nutritional standards that have applied in maintained schools since 2008-09. "I would like to reassure you that we have no reason to believe that academies will not provide healthy, balanced meals that meet the current nutritional standards. As part of the broader freedoms available to academies, I trust the professionals to act in the best interests of their pupils," the education secretary said. So he was clear – there was no problem."


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