Children's Nutrition Action Plan - The Food Commission

school meals with its
opportunities for learning
social skills; 22
♦ Soft drink/confectionery
machines and tuck shops used
to generate school revenue; 22
♦ The loss of cooking skills in
the formal curriculum. 22
Children’s dental health
• The story of dental problems in
children is largely the story of
sugar consumption, in particular
frequent sugar consumption.
• Children eat less sugar added at
the table (1980: 23%; 1990: 12%),
and purchases of packet sugar are
declining, but people still eat more
sugar overall as ‘hidden sugars’ in
processed foods. (80% of sugar is
used in the manufacture of
processed foods. 41 ) Compared
with national guidelines, sugar
consumption remains too high. 41
• From 1980-90, there has been a
large increase in the contribution
of soft drinks to total sugar
consumption in school-aged
children. 41
• Although over the period 1983-93
there was about a 40% decline or
delay in onset in dental caries
rates, this improvement probably
relates to the introduction of
fluoride in toothpaste, not to
changes in eating patterns. 22
• 2000: The National Diet and
Nutrition Survey fond that 53% of
all children between 4 and 18
years old had dental decay in their
primary or permanent teeth. 38
• A large amount of money and
effort is spent on advertising
sugary foods and drinks to
children. For example, in 1997-98,
Coca Cola spent £31.4 million on
advertising. Children in particular
• Advice to schools on managing delegated budgets
effectively for better nutrition. 42
• Putting nutrition higher up the agenda – a
conference of head teachers and/or food committee
representatives.
• Review of Ingredients for Success? Input from
schools a year on…
• Strengthening nutritional standards for school
meals. Also consider including aspects of
promotion, display, pricing, etc., to encourage
healthy eating. Sharing of best practice information
on marketing healthier food options in schools.
• Pre-school education to be included in the Health
Promoting schools project. 22
• Strengthen the role of the CMO in health
promotion on cross-sectoral health issues,
particularly relating to children, with a team
reporting to the CMO. 22
• Support the establishment of Health Committees in
all schools – with opportunities for food, smoking
and physical activity sub-committees to ensure
implementation and promotion of the work.
• Consider ring-fencing funds for school health
services. 22
• Definitions of minimum services that are
acceptable under guidelines. 22
• Requirement on Health Authorities to ensure that
adequate school health services are provided. 22
• DfES – new national framework (1997) to promote
extended opportunities for learning outside the
classroom – excellent place to develop food
education. DfES could build on good practice of
extracurricular schemes such as Get Cooking! and
Food in Schools. 22
• Development of educational materials that
incorporate health promotion information/ideas
into literacy and numeracy work. 22
• Nutrition helpline for school caterers. 22
• Measures of capacity building in teaching and
catering staff.
• Action on encouraging physical activity. 22
• Education bodies concerned with curriculum
The Children’s Nutrition Action Plan, published by The Food Commission
55