Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Diana Johnson (Labour). It was answered by Parmjit Dhanda (Labour) on Thursday, 23 November 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

School Meals

Question: What measures local education authorities are considering to increase the take-up of healthy school meals.

Answer: Local authorities are using a range of measures to increase school lunch take-up. They include: improving dining areas to make them more attractive to eat in; creating promotional materials on nutrition and healthy lifestyles, and involving parents in activities such as tasting sessions for the new food. This Government are offering an unprecedented £477-million package of support to help schools and local authorities improve school food and increase take-up.

Secondary information