Lansley is giving the children an excuse to not eat the healthy food. Keep serving it and kids will eat it. Limit the "lunch sack" from home. Otherwise the obesity in children will continue to grow.

In a way, I agree with the premise.

Here in the US for example, you can't turn on the TV, read a newspaper etc. without being lectured on cancer, heart disease, weight loss, this disease, that disease, eating, depression, etc. etc. etc. Screen for this, test for that, take a pill for this, don't eat that.

Frankly, while I understand at least SOME of that is designed to help make us healthier -- I'M SICK OF IT -- pun intended. I'm to the point if I see someone talking about symptoms, pills, screenings, any of that stuff -- I turn it off! I think we are over saturated with it.

I would love to have just a TWO WEEK moratorium were NONE of this can be addressed, discussed, shown on TV, printed in newspapers and magazines, etc. Two whole weeks with no lectures. Do that every few months. THEN when the stuff comes on you need to know, maybe you'll (and I) will pay more attention.

Humans are cranky and contrary by nature. By this over saturation, I think many causes are being hurt, not helped.

The problem with obesety in children is not the school. It's what they eat at home! Until parents start providing less fattening food, the kids will always be fat. Example: Fat kid eats a healthy lunch at school. He goes home and snacks until dinner. At dinner the food is high in starch and fat. After dinner, they all snack until bedtime. If all a kid ate after school was a piece of fruit and water until dinner and then they had a healthy dinner (meat. veg. starch), they would be healthier and not obese. Breakfast is a must, but often skipped in this busy world. How about getting up 1/2 hour earlier and have a bowl of cereal with fruit and a glass of milk? No soda, at any time!

I eat healthy and take lots of vitamins because I was brought up in a home where my dad believed in health and fitness while not being a nazi about it.

I practice what I saw my dad do and my kids do the same.

I love Jamie Oliver and all but maybe he needs to change what's going on at the home too. Somebody had to address the crap the schools serve kids...but it really does start at home.

It's like asking teachers to teach kids respect when they don't see their parents treating others with respect.

Junk food is the problem and alot of parents let kids eat what they want and when they want, families don't sit down together and eat a home cooked nutritious meal any longer so the kids eat whatever they want which is usally junk food, also kids don't play outside anymore and are addicted to the computer and video games, it's so different from when I was growing up there were very few overweight children when I was young

In general, kids are going to eat the way their taught at home. They will not get healthy eating habits taught to them there so where's the problem with teaching it to them via the school lunch program? Isn't that what school is for?

What abou the student who doesn't pay attention in math class so he's never any good at math. Do we suspend math classes?

I am (and so is Oprah Winfrey for that matter) living proof that you can still get and stay fat eating healthy foods - it has to do with how much.

At the very least Jamie is trying to do something positive. Children need to be exposed to healthy food especially when competing with fast food advertising. Keep it up please Jamie!

I think a bigger part of the problem is that most school districts see "P.E." as a non-essential part of their curriculum.  Yes, eating healthier foods is always best, but if you get these kids MOVING on a regular basis, their weight would be much less of an issue. 

You must have a NEGATIVE caloric intake in order to lose weight.  Just as simplifed example:  if you eat 2000 calories a day, regardless of what type of food it is, and you only burn 1500 calories a day, you will gain one pound (3500 calories = 1 pound) in 7 days. 

given the taxes in jolly ol england, the parents who send food with the child, pay for meals twice, once for the tax payer supported school food, once for the brown bag.

I think he should be commended on his efforts. If even one parent got the hint, then he's done a good job.

It all comes down to parents filling their kids with knowledge, good food and activity... a healthy lifestyle. Then also the commitment to lead a sustainable life.

I don't think the government of either UK or USA or any other country for that matter can influence obesity rates via TV, radio, ad etc campaigns. It doesn't work. People adopt a very mulish approach when told what to do and what not to do. But I do believe that the government does have the right to dictate to schools who use taxpayer money what can and cannot go into a child's lunch. Kick out the garbage fast food companies that are there to create addiction and brand loyalty and serve a variety of healthier alternatives. If I can cook those at home and have a picky 4 year old eat it, it's obviously possible. He wants pizza, he gets pizza. My pizza is made with 3/4 whole wheat, less sauce, less cheese and some pepperoni. Tastes better than the storebought crap and its much healthier. My daughter loves it too, but prefers vegetables as a topping rather than pepperoni. I also think the governments should offer fast food companies tax incentives if they can prove that they have reduced salt , high fructose, sugar and other assorted garbage in their products without altering them by compensating with tons of chemicals. Our favorite kettle chips (Lays) have a lower fat alternative but the sodium content in those goes through the roof. Yuck! Start teaching home economics to all kids and include lessons on healthy, tasty alternatives, it may take a generation or two but they'll learn. BTW, I am chunky but have two healthy weight children and a skinny husband because we do try to eat healthy and rarely eat out. I am chunky because I have a snacking habit. And, since we homeschool, no school lunch dilema for us. When they did go do school, neither one ate the cafeteria foods because they hated it.

We've talked about childhood obesity before on Newsvine. I still say a lot of the problem is the fact that most teens believe they have to have a bottle of soda pop or juice in their hands at all times and they do not deny themselves anything--that's why they get fat. Also, the fact that most of their friends are overweight doesn't give them much reason to get thin due to peer pressure. It doesn't exist like it did 30 years ago when I was in school.

It's not rocket science...eat healthy and get some exercise. Sure it's not easy, but once you get started and start seeing some results it gets easier. Turn the TV off, the video games off and kick your kids outside to play like we all did when we were growing up. For goodness sakes it's summer. Every kid should be outside or at the pool enjoying being a kid, because in a few years responsiblity kicks in. Teach them good eating habits early and make gettng exercise fun and your children will grow up healthy and at a good weight. And it wouldn't hurt for the parents to get outside with their kids...just do some people watching next time your at the mall or someplace....we are becoming a society of obese and unhealthy people.

This will also take time - sure the kids want their turkey twizzlers (gad - how awful sounding is that!) and will whine they're first taken away but over time, hunger will always win out. My kids and hubby all balked when we first all decided to eat healthier but in time, we've all realized we actually like it and looking better and losing weight is great reward.

Jamie Oliver rocks!!!!
People know when they're eating bad. Parents know when they're feeding their kids bad. If someone wants to try to help them eat better and learn better habits, good for them.

I think western culture has changed with our wealth. Wealth makes you want to eat well....it's a sign of wealth. Even if you're poor, you want to eat like a king and not feel like an eastern euorpean hungry peasant. It what we've learned from our hungry past. Now we need to learn it not always the right thing to be totally full. It'll be hard.

How pathetic. Blame Jamie Oliver and "telling people what to do?" Jesus, what is this world coming to? We are totally out of control and the parents of these school children should be ashamed of themselves, because they are the ones raising these insolent hellions. TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO is EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED PEOPLE!

I watched Jamie's special here in the USA that was focused on revamping the diets of a school district's worth of children in WVA. These kids couldn't even identify basic vegetables, didn't know that katsup was made from tomatoes (technically a fruit) and had never tried most of the veggies their school teacher eventually had them learn to identify.

And we expect these folks to eventually vote? They can't even identify eggplant or cauliflower!

I commend jamie Oliver for at least caring enough to try to improve the diets of these children its time somebody does, it certainly isn't being done by the leaders of the schools and government who are supposed to care. Granted, it starts at home but if enough people care then maybe the parents will beging to care!!!

Well, gosh. If your health insurance rates and coverages were linked to your relative obesity, would that not incent the behavior you're looking for? Seems a nifty cause and effect. If I choose to eat fatty unhealty food, then I should be allowed to do so. However, I will have to take responsibility for that down the line when my health goes south because of it and "pay the price".

Though you cannot make the horse drink the water, you surely can show him the effects of not drinking any at all.

I think parents and schools are equally responsible for making sure kids get healthy meals.  20 year ago, how many of us got to go to mcdonalds every single day?  Parents need to insist on healthy eating, and let junk be a TREAT!  Then schools need to follow up on that by not serving junk.  Its the chicken and the egg, who has to change first?  I think the schools do, but they also need to make sure parents want to, too.  Jamie didn't FORCE healthy food on them, he just didn't give them unhealthy options.  Eat right or go hungry, people complaning about this is the very reason everyone is obese and dying of heart attacks.

It's not just the food that makes kids fat - it's the inactivity. Gym class must be mandatory K through 12, recess is important and families need to get their kids away from their gameboys and computers! Go outside, play and work off some calories. I grew up in the '70s - I ate what my mother prepared (typical meals and sack lunches) - but then I walked to school, played on the jungle gym, ghost in the graveyard at night, rode bikes everywhere, etc. Chubby kids in grade school were less common and probably suffered from real metabolism problems. Anyway - it starts at home and should continue at school. Be active!

As an adult I should take my own advice!

Get the kids away from the TV's and video games and get them outside and exercising like we all did when we were kids (I'm assuming too much here...that we are all adults) I never allowed my kids to sit in front of the TV all the time. I was a single parent and in college when they were small so they had to do their homework with me at the kitchen table together. Then we went outside together. If there was time, maybe a little TV before bath time.

Kids need to have recess time at school again and physical education. Stuff that keeps them moving. Sedentary lifestyles are learned behavior. Get rid of the junk food and soda and show them what good old fashioned ice water tastes like along with an apple. We need to get back to the basics.

I just have to say - Jamie's doing a good thing, but the education needs to hit the parents too and some folks just don't care.

I have a family member who lives in low income housing... he regularly sees all the STAPLE foods from free food baskets left in the common area, because the idiots don't want it. They take the junk foods from the baskets and put out 'to share' good staples like dry beans and rice... that no one but him takes. It's not like they don't have the time to cook. Most are families with welfare moms who don't work. Cooking a decent meal is too much effort.

As for our fast food and junk food habits... we're seriously too stupid to learn. Tax the the heck out of it, please. either it will lessen the amount of folks consuming it because it's 'cheap and easy' or you'll up your chance of being mugged by Crazed Doritos Addicts looking for their next fix.

Yes, teens do over-eat high-calorie foods after school and on weekends and increasing numbers of them appear to be engaging in regular physical exercise less and less. In addition, the instant-gratification lifestyle necessarily adds to the problem and teaching kids discipline (to counter-balance) has probably never been harder. The fact is that kids aren't likely to stop wanting to eat flavorful snacks and sweets anytime soon. But, why do snacks and sweets need to be so high in sugar, fat, and calories to be so flavorful? Obviously, that's what makes them so, in most cases. And, the more you eat, the more you want. Perhaps the answer is to be more underhanded and develop just-as-flavorful snacks and sweets, which are much lower in sugar, fat, and calories? Companies have obviously tried this, but just how hard did they try? Maybe it's the fact that teens know the difference and will always choose the less-healthy option simply because nothing can match it in flavor. The industry giants seem to know this and are focusing their efforts on selling an ever-increasing variety of high-sugar, high-fat, and high-calorie foods to an ever-increasing number of kids. But, if kids are becoming more and more over-weight, that means kids are eating more of such foods, more often. Of course, such companies contend that it's not their job to teach kids healthy eating habits. So, if it's not their job, whose job is it?

Over to Japan... the junior and senior high schools do not sell soft drinks, only energy drinks, juices, tea, coffee, and water by vending machine. At the school cafeteria, students choose from a selection of curries (pork or chicken with rice), ramen noodles, fried chicken and rice, salad, and miso soup, etc. Most students choose one of the curries or the fried chicken and rice. They study hard, so by lunchtime, they need an energy-packed meal to fuel their afternoon study. The cafeteria also sells a few sugary bread products, which the students eat in the morning between classes or as an afternoon snack. This may not be strictly true for all schools, of course. It's certainly true, however, that as a culture, the Japanese eat far more healthily than their counterparts in western countries. This is true for all meals. Traditionally - and even today - wives and mothers stay at home as "housewives" and carefully prepare every meal - breakfast, lunch (i.e. packed lunches), and dinner. That way, they control what their kids consume. Obviously, over-weight kids do exist (because of genes, the eating habits of their parents, etc.), but culture wide, they do not exist in comparable numbers - yet. Also, much of kids' school lives are spent doing "club activities", which are often sports, like soccer, baseball, basketball, table tennis, archery, track and field, etc. So, the kids there seem to eat right and are active. It's cultural. This will change, of course, when the culture changes, and more mothers are working (which is already happening) and have less control over what their kids eat and less time and energy to put up a fight when their kids want to eat yet another packet of snacks or sweets instead of a piece of fruit.

Though how Japan is today is, perhaps, a reminder of how western countries used to be, the comparison is valid because it could well be the direction in which western countries need to head once again. High-calorie snacks and sweets have always existed. What's changed is that parents in western countries have less and less time these days to ensure that their kids eat healthier alternatives between meals and healthy meals at the recommended times. And, the eating habits of parents themselves have changed. Parents these days probably eat more high-calorie snacks and sweets themselves than ever before. But, if the net result is a much less-healthy society, something must change. It will be the culture. Parents have to put in the effort to control what their kids consume - like parents used to. PE class and sports need to play a more prominent role in kids lives - like they used to. Can governments better regulate - with the support of parents - what goes into snacks and sweets to make them lower in sugar, fat, and calories? It's possible, but not that likely. Can kids themselves be expected to control themselves and what they eat? Again, not really. Like it or not, it's parents who have to take the prominent role - like they used to. But, they'll need help. If they're busy, they'll need a larger selection of healthy foods to choose from at the supermarket, which are quick and easy to prepare. They'll need support from schools in the form of education for kids about how to maintain a balanced diet. Snacks and sweets are fine if eaten in the right amounts. Kids need to be rewarded for eating right. They can be rewarded by being allowed to eat a snack or sweet after eating something healthy. And, kids' lunches at school need to balance healthy with not-so-healthy. Japanese kids, particularly the boys, like their fried chicken at lunch time. As long as it's balanced with some vegetables and some rice, it's fine (though eating fried chicken every day can't be recommended). Schools will also need to offer more activities at school which involve physical exercise. Schools/The government will need to provide parents with strategies and techniques to help them control their kids' eating and exercise habits at home. A website could be useful. Classes for parents at their kids' school could be useful.

Changes in culture and habits have lead us to where we are today in western countries. And, it will be counter-balancing changes that will lead us to being a healthier societies again. If self discipline (eating right most of the time, eating snacks and sweets at the right times, and engaging in regular exercise) has become increasingly less possible in modern society for whatever reason - and there's no way out of that, then the problem may be very difficult to solve indeed (without, perhaps, the help of technology). Adults know the value of and can practice self discipline; kids can't so much. So, it's parents that must step up and step in and make a difference in the lives of their kids. And, the surrounding culture need to support them in their efforts to do that.

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