School meals provision in meltdown

9.36.53pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 3rd Sep 2007

The government is failing to get more children eating healthy school meals, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats. Figures revealed in response to a parliamentary question by David Laws show that the government's high-profile healthy eating campaign has led to less children eating school meals. Almost 250,000 fewer school meals were served in secondary schools last year compared to two years ago, a fall of some 20%.

These figures show that the school meals service is in meltdown. Instead of boosting the number of children taking up healthy school meals, government policy has contributed to an implosion of the service. Almost two thirds of secondary school pupils are now shunning school food, and the situation is little better in primary schools. The government is now one million children below its target for school meal uptake, and the figures are getting worse rather than better.