Demi
Tue, Jul-22-08, 09:14
The Mail
London, UK
22 July, 2008
Schools ban cheese on jacket potatoes in drive to tackle obesity
Crisps, sweets and chips are all treats associated with an unhealthy diet.
But a jacket potato with cheese would appear to be a nutritious choice for a growing child.
Apparently not according to Plymouth City Council who have banned the seemingly innocuous meal from school dinner menus.
Do-gooding council chiefs say that over-indulging on cheese could cause youngsters to consume too much saturated fat.
The move comes as part of the authority's drive to hit Government standards set by the School Food Trust aimed at tackling childhood obesity.
A city council spokeswoman said: 'To meet these standards, some food items and ingredients have had to be changed or their use limited.
'Cheese is no longer used as a filling for jacket potatoes, but this has enabled us to keep it as an ingredient on other popular menu choices including pizza, cauliflower cheese, quiche, broccoli bake, pork balls and lentil loaf.'
It also includes replacing salt with herbs and spices, limiting saturated fats and increasing levels of zinc and iron.
However the British Cheese Board said cheese should not be sacrificed from school meals because it is rich in key nutrients, calcium and vitamin A.
Nigel White, secretary of the British Cheese Board, said: 'The council may be sending out the wrong message here.
'Cheese is not part of the problem, it should be part of the solution to children getting a balanced diet.'
Mr White said a debate had raged with the School Food Trust, the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health who see reducing cheese consumption as a way of tackling the ever-increasing waistlines of today's pupils.
But Mr White stressed cheese is different to junk foods such as crisps and soft drinks, which have lots of calories but not many nutrients.
He stressed that for a child aged seven to ten, 30g of cheese provided 40 per cent of the daily calcium requirement, 72 per cent of vitamin B12, 34 per cent of phosphorus, 28 per cent of protein and 28 per cent of vitamin A.
Dentists also recommend eating cheese to build strong teeth.
Mr White said cheese eaten in moderation was good for people and local authorities should try to obtain half-fat and reduced fat cheeses.
And he stressed: 'There are other things they should be doing, like encouraging children to take more exercise and be careful about how many junk foods they eat.'
Dr Clare Pettinger, a dietician from the University of Plymouth, said cheese was an important part of a child's diet, but warned it was easy to eat too much.
'People will readily put cheese on everything,' she said.
'It's all about variety and balance. Have cheese for one meal and then not for a couple of days.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1037196/Primary-schools-banned-putting-cheese-jacket-potatoes-drive-tackle-obesity.html
London, UK
22 July, 2008
Schools ban cheese on jacket potatoes in drive to tackle obesity
Crisps, sweets and chips are all treats associated with an unhealthy diet.
But a jacket potato with cheese would appear to be a nutritious choice for a growing child.
Apparently not according to Plymouth City Council who have banned the seemingly innocuous meal from school dinner menus.
Do-gooding council chiefs say that over-indulging on cheese could cause youngsters to consume too much saturated fat.
The move comes as part of the authority's drive to hit Government standards set by the School Food Trust aimed at tackling childhood obesity.
A city council spokeswoman said: 'To meet these standards, some food items and ingredients have had to be changed or their use limited.
'Cheese is no longer used as a filling for jacket potatoes, but this has enabled us to keep it as an ingredient on other popular menu choices including pizza, cauliflower cheese, quiche, broccoli bake, pork balls and lentil loaf.'
It also includes replacing salt with herbs and spices, limiting saturated fats and increasing levels of zinc and iron.
However the British Cheese Board said cheese should not be sacrificed from school meals because it is rich in key nutrients, calcium and vitamin A.
Nigel White, secretary of the British Cheese Board, said: 'The council may be sending out the wrong message here.
'Cheese is not part of the problem, it should be part of the solution to children getting a balanced diet.'
Mr White said a debate had raged with the School Food Trust, the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health who see reducing cheese consumption as a way of tackling the ever-increasing waistlines of today's pupils.
But Mr White stressed cheese is different to junk foods such as crisps and soft drinks, which have lots of calories but not many nutrients.
He stressed that for a child aged seven to ten, 30g of cheese provided 40 per cent of the daily calcium requirement, 72 per cent of vitamin B12, 34 per cent of phosphorus, 28 per cent of protein and 28 per cent of vitamin A.
Dentists also recommend eating cheese to build strong teeth.
Mr White said cheese eaten in moderation was good for people and local authorities should try to obtain half-fat and reduced fat cheeses.
And he stressed: 'There are other things they should be doing, like encouraging children to take more exercise and be careful about how many junk foods they eat.'
Dr Clare Pettinger, a dietician from the University of Plymouth, said cheese was an important part of a child's diet, but warned it was easy to eat too much.
'People will readily put cheese on everything,' she said.
'It's all about variety and balance. Have cheese for one meal and then not for a couple of days.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1037196/Primary-schools-banned-putting-cheese-jacket-potatoes-drive-tackle-obesity.html