The debate about the health of the nations school children has been raised again these last few weeks with news that less and less school meals are being eaten. Even after Jamie Oliver’s campaign it seems the nations children are still not eating healthy meals at school. Or are they?

Speaking from experience at the school were I work, this is not the case. Our head dinner lady, has been in the national newspapers for her hard work in the kitchens of our school making sure that the pupils eat healthy school meals. This has gone down well with the pupils, and many of our children eat a healthy school meal during the day, purchased from the canteen.

Granted the children that we have are at the higher end of the social class. Therefore they are probably more educated about the benefits of eating a healthy diet, and also they have probably come across the vest majority of foods that they find are being served in the canteen. Nothing is new to them and therefore they will try these foods.

I think were the problem lies in the diet of out nations youngsters once again comes down to what they ate as young babies, and what they eat at home. Therefore this is down to the parents. I think that the main reason children won’t try different foods is because they haven’t had them before. The time to children used to flavours is when they are young and they can’t really say no! If they have tried things and heard of them before then they will usually give them a go. Therefore it is down to the parents to introduce these when they are young. Too many parents are giving their kids what they want and not what they need when they are young.

Therefore the government could spend millions improving school meals but children will still be reluctant to eat them because they don’t eat that sort of food at home. Perhaps Jamie Oliver needs to do a campaign about getting parents to feed their children proper food and that way children will try these things at the school canteen.