I am one of the children who is being affected by this attempted food ban, and it seems to me that everyone who put their names down on the petition wouldn't be seriously affected by the consequences. Children all over the UK will get affected, and it is only fair that they get a say in what happens to them, and i intend to do just that. I am outraged by this attempt to take away childrens free will, namely what they are allowed to eat, and will strongly oppose any attempts that people make to take that choice away. We have every right to make our own decisions, and we are NOT going to listen to the government if they try to take that away. Post your names here if you agree, and PLEASE, if you disagree with me, give your reasons why. I want to keep an open mind, if possible, so I need to know both sides of the argument. Thanks in advance, Ashura
Yes, they have every right to eat turkey twizzlers and other cr*p! Let them become unhealthy and obese. It is their right! Let them smoke and drink themselves silly too!
(\__/) (+'.'+) (")_(")
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO TO GET ANOTHER GOLD STAR!!!
its up to the parents to choose what they eat, if thye want their kids to be fat, have health problems etc then go ahead and let you children eat all the crap food, the kids should be given an option though
Whether you think it correct or not, we have a society whose Law dictates that until a certain age, adults are responsible for the welfare of children. Not all laws constructed for adults necessarily meet with adult approval, but they are there for a reason... given that we live in a democracy, adults are able to vote, at times (though not always,) on what they agree or disagree with. Children, due to the vast difference in abilities to decide and weigh up the arguments with the benefit of experience, don't have that priviledge. Adults are therefore charged with making decisions on their behalf. This is why children have to attend school. TRhis is why it is illegal to exploit children, and send them up chimneys, or to work in factories, or to go down mines.... these are decisions made by adults, for the welfare of minors. To prevent the abuse and exploitation. Like it or not, these decisions are being made, precisely because children have become addicted to junk food, ready meals and foods which frankly, are not conducive to a balanced diet. Keep putting diesel in a petrol engine, and you'll break down all too soon. Feed kids the wrong type of foods, and soon, you'll see the problems manifesting. At least if we make decisions to start you off right, then when you're adults you can "go off the rails" as much as you like. Until then, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with it... Unless you'd just like to sweep across the board, reverse everything, and go back to children of 9 working back on a treadmill for 10 hours a day non-stop?
Hey Ashura, it's the adults who have to put up with the hyperactive, aggressive, moody behaviour of the children (and other adults) on the worst diets, so lay off. No-one is banning all the bad food outside the school so try to get some perspective!
Originally posted by Gville: If you want freedom of choice in order to eat food which is genuninely bad for you then you don't deserve freedom of choice.
For an awful lot of the children the one hot and main meal they get each day will be their school dinner. So I think it can only be a good thing that the people with the responsibilty for those meals make sure that the choice the kids have is as nutritious as possible.
As well as my full time job I run a free cookery course in a poorer area of my city. A lot of my students have children. And if you were shocked when Oliver quizzed a class full of chilren about what many of our most commonly eaten vegetables were and them not having a CLUE try and imagine the shock you'd get when you get the same response from a group of 20 odd adults with the average age of between 30 and 40. Some of them didn't even know what a CUCUMBER was! Now, these people are being pro active about learning how to cook and finding out what is good and healthy for them and their family but there are many parents out there who don't really care and will just shove a plate of rubbish, mainly consisting of fat, sugar, salt, additives and cuts of meat you wouldn't feed to your dog, down in front of their kids.
I agree that school age children should have a choice of what to eat - but that the range of food offered should be well balanced and healthy so that they make good choices. I also think it is important to let children know WHY they are being offered certain foods and why certain foods are being excluded from their school meal choice. Educate them about food and why we need certain foods and why they are good for us etc, etc.
Well Children don't have the right to smoke, drink, drive, work down coal mines, avoid going to school....
At home you may not have the right to decied where you holiday, how late you stay up etc.. those things are decided by your parent(s)/guardians. Who also may make the decsions about what you eat.
when you go to school I want you to have a good education. As school dinners are a major part of your diet I want them to be healthy... I don't want my taxes spent on junk food that ruins your health and harms your education.
Originally posted by Gville: If you want freedom of choice in order to eat food which is genuninely bad for you then you don't deserve freedom of choice.
Surely everyone deserves freedom of choice?
That should re read: "freedom of 'informed' choice?
Perhaps it is debatable that kids have the ability to excersise 'informed' choice om food when it they are presented with high fat and sugar content foods for their school meals as opposed to more healthier choices.
There is also the issue of how much the NHS spends on the countres growing obesity problem. One trust has even started refusing to provide certain specific operations (hip and knee replacements) to patients deemed over weight.
as mentioned above, some adults are as bad as some kids are, but there is always a chance that kids can learn themselves what not to eat. If kids only eat chips and stuff and get realy fat and hate it, then they might realise how to stop it and not be fat as adults. If Kids only get the option when they are older, they are going to pig out and try loads of junk food because they have never had the chance to before!
Originally posted by ashura: as mentioned above, some adults are as bad as some kids are, but there is always a chance that kids can learn themselves what not to eat. If kids only eat chips and stuff and get realy fat and hate it, then they might realise how to stop it and not be fat as adults. If Kids only get the option when they are older, they are going to pig out and try loads of junk food because they have never had the chance to before!
But the same logic would say that if you give children only healthy food at a young age they might really like it and hate fatty unhealty junk food later in life..
If you would choose turkey twizzlers over freshly prepared food then you cannot be doing that based on any reasonable comparison. Freshly prepared pasta and vegetables tastes better, is better and crucially is healthier. Knowing all this and choosing the spun fat and salt and sugar instead can’t be based on any kind of logic. Perhaps instead it’s more to do with stamping your foot and demanding your own way. If you were demanding to drink whiskey before each class at school you would expect to be refused. If you were pleading with your parents to allow you to smoke dope you would expect to receive a long lecture on the dangers of smoking and drugs. So why are you demanding to be allowed to eat food which will make you fat and ill? Health decisions are not often left to kids, they are taken by responsible adults who have the best interests of the kid at heart and can make the decision based on facts rather than tantrums.
Once their pallets have been re-educated, all the kids seemed to like the food. Little was wasted and nobody went hungry. The fact that behaviour and concentration improved amongst the kids eating the new food makes the benefits clear. Added to that the schools were reporting reductions in health issues like asthma.
In short the money must be found to improve food quality, train cooks and educate children about food. It’s an easy fix to a problem which will otherwise grow and grow.
* Rugby league, lager and big brother are what summer is for! *
Ashura: You're making it sound like children will be affected badly by this ban, this is quite obviously not the case. Anyway, it's not like you're being forced not to eat the rubbishy food, it's just that it simply wont be available. If you absolutely must eat it, then I'm sure that unfortunately it will be available to you outside of school.
Like other people have mentioned, as a child you often don't always know what's best (even though you think you do). I'm only 21 so I can remember being 14 quite clearly, I remember being annoyed and patronised when adukts said that 'They know best', but put it in perspective, what exactly are you missing out on?
Hiya Ashura I am a parent and a pensioner and find that one of the biggest mistakes teenagers like yourself makes is forgetting that we have been there done it and got the T shirt. It's called experience. At your age you should be seeking out knowledge, listening to people who have the necessary knowledge and experience and applying it to improve your life. Alexandra1's post says most of what I was going to say, you should read it because I see that your knowledge base is to shallow to sustain a good argument. Please do not see this as an attack on you, I mean this as constructive criticism as I believe the brain should be fed as well as the stomach. Jamie has done a brilliant job here and deserves to be recognised for that, his approach was a bit naive but the message was spot on. When and if you do gain the necessary knowledge you will see tha., I keep reminding my son who thinks he knows everything that if his mouth is voicing off he is learning nothing, he even argues with that advice. It is sad though and inexcuseable that the people who should know better have allowed the school meal system to sink to this low (some of those who have the T shirt but never learned). Kind regards Dave Madley
Ashura, just out of interest and trying to get away from the general 'I want the choice ...', what would you personally like to give your own school to eat? You are saying that you and quite a few of your fellow students would like some input; if it was up to you, how would a sensible meal plan look with choices for starter, main, dessert? Bearing in mind that you cannot spend more than about 65p per meal (generous) and that all of your schoolmates' dietary needs and personal preferences should be covered.
Leaning towards cleaning. Am the Queen of my own castle.
Originally posted by ashura: as mentioned above, some adults are as bad as some kids are, but there is always a chance that kids can learn themselves what not to eat. If kids only eat chips and stuff and get realy fat and hate it, then they might realise how to stop it and not be fat as adults. If Kids only get the option when they are older, they are going to pig out and try loads of junk food because they have never had the chance to before!
That's exactly what teenagers do, it's exactly what I did. When I got out of primary school where there was no choice of what to have for lunch I had burgers, chips, biscuits, crisps, chocolate for lunch for perhaps a couple of years. Because I could, nobody was controlling what I chose to eat. But without the formative years of being given a balanced meal and not the choice of some fatty, additive laden alternative I would never have known what's good and what isn't. By 4th/5th year of school I was eating salads rather than the rubbish.
Primary schools MUST set the example with food, as must parents. And if it isn't done from an early age the damage is done.
*It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them. -- Pierre De Beaumarchais
Well done Ashura for being brave enough to speak out. I am a mother of four and would like to point out that through me talking to my children about food and doing my best to give them a balanced diet, they don't actually like "junk food". They occasionally have a school lunch but don't enjoy it! Also I feel I must point out that when I was in school (not terribly long ago) we had Fast Food Friday: burgers, sausages,chips etc... once a week was plenty.
going to listen to the government if they try to take that away. Post your names here if you agree, and PLEASE, if you disagree with me, give your reasons why. I want to keep an open mind, if possible, so I need to know both sides of the argument. Thanks in advance,
), but if i was i would want the same freedom of choice!
Can I really have a piece of cake, Daddy? 
