Food tsar refuses to back free school meals for all children

Scotland's food tsar has angered fellow nutrition experts by refusing to back moves to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren.

Gillian Kynoch told the Sunday Herald that she does not believe making school meals free to all children is the best use of resources. She also dismissed the idea that the stigma surrounding free school meals for deprived children prevents pupils from taking up the benefit.

She said: "Twenty per cent of children are entitled to free meals and there is a 16% uptake. That 4% who aren't taking them represents a vulnerable group and there will be all sorts of reasons why they do not go for a school lunch; it is not necessarily due to the stigma. We have got to stand back and not assume that they are not going for school lunch because of stigmatism.

"This group will contain an above average number of young carers, they may need to go home and look after someone at lunchtime. There will be an above average number of kids facing expulsion, they may have bad relations with teachers and there may be reasons why they don't want to hang around school at lunchtime. I wonder how much more than the 16% we would actually get in, given all the other things going on in their life. Sixteen per cent is quite high."

Ms Kynoch added that the government's expert panel which is setting nutritional standards for school meals is, however, addressing stigmatism.

She added: "We have to make sure that they are not staying away because they are embarrassed queuing up but I am not convinced that this is the whole answer.

"The Executive does not sign up to universal access to entitlements. They believe that we have got to target benefits at those who really need it rather than give free school meals to everyone. My kids don't need free school meals. It is a huge sledgehammer to treat that 4%. There are other things we could be doing with the money."

But in opposing free school meals for all the food tsar has surprised and angered leading nutrition experts.

Professor Mike Lean, head of human nutrition at Glasgow University and chairman of a new research programme for the Food Standards Agency, supports free school meals for all children and says he does not know another nutritionist who opposes them. He is disappointed that the food tsar has not called on Scotland's nutrition experts to advise her on the issue.

"One of the things we are concerned about is that the food tsar has not put together a forum of those who have authority in the area of nutrition. She is very junior and has been put in the position of someone who has to command the whole food industry. It is a demanding role and one more than one person can do," he said. "There are a number of people who are influential at a national level and I think it would do no harm to work as a team rather than expect one junior person to do it all. Those in Scotland who are working in nutrition are looking forward to the opportunity to offer support.

"We should be providing a quality free meal for everybody. This would make available to children, who would otherwise have to go without, at least one balanced meal a day. If schools are not going to provide children with one healthy meal a day then who will?"

His view is backed Dr Wendy Wrieden, of the Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, at Dundee University. She said: "The point is that there is a link between long-term health and diet. This is one way of providing decent food for all children. A lot of people fall into the poverty trap but are not eligible for benefits such as school meals.

"This would take away the stigma and would provide a decent meal for all children."

The Free School Meals Bill, currently going through the Scottish parliament and sponsored by Scottish Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan, Labour MSP John McAllion and Scottish Nationalist MSP Alex Neil, is an attempt to copy Scandinavian countries, particularly Finland, which have demonstrated that a universal free school meal pegged to set nutritional standards can be a highly effective legislative measure to improve public health. The private member's bill has broad and growing support, including the backing of sections of the STUC and Unison, the Educational Institute of Scotland, the Scottish Churches Social Inclusion Network, Child Poverty Action and organisations such as One Plus, which supports one-parent families.

The bill, which would cost Scottish taxpayers (pounds) 174 million a year, is opposed by the Scottish Executive. But John McAllion argues that the money would be well spent and easily recovered from improved educational attainment and savings on the nation's health bill.

"Statistics show an increased class divide in the incidence of disease. Services for the poor end up being poor services. Universal free meals is the best way to improve meals for every child and end the social stigma attached to means-tested meals," said McAllion.

Tommy Sheridan points out that one in five children entitled doesn't take them because of the stigma attached to being "on the ticket" and 30% of children officially classified as living in poverty do not qualify for free meals.

"I spoke to a single parent who had just got a job and lost her entitlement to free school meals. With two teenagers she was having to find about (pounds) 20 a week for their lunch. She was actually worse off than before," said Sheridan.

The bill's sponsors stress that there is no point making school meals free to all if the food served is not a substantial improvement on what's on offer at present.

"There's been far too much emphasis on fast food and junk. We have to change that culture," said Alex Neil.

The most convincing model is Finland, a country that has transformed its health record by this type of measure. "The school meals I tasted in Finland were delicious and all made in-house by cheery cooks," said food writer, Sue Lawrence, an authority on Finnish food. "They use local produce and cook according to the weather outside. Every Thursday, for example, there was thick pea soup with ham and mustard with fresh, crunchy rye crispbreads followed by pancakes and berries.

"The Finns realised that you have to do away with processed foods and vending machines selling junk."

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