However this Universal Infant Free School Meals programme is now under consideration, as part of George Osborne’s November spending review. It is all about cost.
TV chef Jamie Oliver also supports the scheme. Expressing his opinion on the proposed scrapping to Sky News, he said:He also said that the schemes had been ‘a major step forward for children’s health and academic performance’ and that many packed lunches ‘get nowhere near the nutritional standards set for school meals.’
Some parents think it’s a good way to stay on top of childhood obesity and others think it does more harm than good. And it makes sense. We are teaching children that weight is the most important aspect of their health. And I can almost see the argument that children age four or five won’t think much about being weighed but weighing 10 and 11 year olds in Year 6 — kids whose bodies are starting to change with puberty and who will likely be feeling self-conscious about their appearance — just feels wrong.
So what SHOULD we do, then, to help children’s health? I think we should be teaching them about daily joyful movement — exercise for fun to make them feel great — and intuitive eating, so they can learn about foods that make them feel good, rather than us labelling some foods as ‘good’ and some as ‘unhealthy’.
We also discuss muscle percentage. I’ll say to my son ‘Your muscles are nearly at 60%’ and then he tells me he wants to go back on the monkey bars again to grow them.‘I might suggest reducing food that our mouth likes and focusing on more foods that are good for our tummy’ This approach also helps me address any changes in their weight without resorting to fat-shaming.
I was a mildly overweight child, and no one ever did anything about it, or mention it. It was fine as a kid but when I got older, I put on weight as no one ever spoke to me about nutrition and exercise. Successful applicants will get three bottles from the range to test and review over an eight-week period.
Explaining why Aldi was launching the initiative, Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying, Aldi UK said: ‘We embrace the opportunity to gather feedback from our trusted shoppers.