Channel 4 Dispatches survey reveals failure of school meals strategies

10 September 2012

A Channel 4 Dispatches investigation has uncovered evidence that strategies to improve the food served in all our schools appear to be failing.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, Dispatches carried out a survey of local authorities and academy schools which found: the take-up of school dinners in secondary schools is less than half, massive variations in the money spent on meals, a number of schools have abandoned hot meals entirely and the sale of certain products in academies which were ‘banned' when they were state-run schools.

With widespread concern around fast food chains opening outlets near schools, the programme has also found links between one of the largest shareholders of major fast food company Domino's and Education Secretary Michael Gove.

 

The Dispatches School Dinner Survey

190 local authorities and 108 academies responded - the results were as follows:

Less than half (41.5 %) of children at their secondary schools are having school dinners (based on 116 responses)

Around a  third of academies are selling products banned under the strict food and nutrition guidelines drawn up for state-run schools.

• Around half of all school pupils in England now attend academies. Out of the 108 who replied to the survey - 37 said they were now selling at least one of the products which were banned when they were state-run
• Our survey found 29 academies selling chocolate, crisps, savoury snacks and other confectionary.

Massive variations on the money spent on dinners in primary schools - from East Lothian District Council who spent £3.30 per meal on ingredients to Pembrokeshire - where the figure was just 53p. Several authorities spend around 60p on ingredients per meal.

A number of schools no longer providing hot meals. Dispatches found that cuts to local authority budgets have compromised their ability to subsidise school canteens.

• The results of the survey found that 13 schools have stopped providing a hot meal since 2007. Further research by Dispatches found additional schools in Lancashire, Northumberland and Devon that have also recently stopped serving meals
• 44 out of the 190 local authorities admit that all responsibility for food has been passed on to the schools themselves so they have no idea whether their kitchens are also under threat of being closed

With food inspections no longer compulsory under the government's education reforms, 32 local authorities which responded said they do not carry out inspections of schools which have opted out of their catering service.

 

Michael Gove & Domino's Pizzas

Dispatches found that pizza company Domino's, has been persistent in its attempts to open new franchises near schools. The programme found a total of 14 cases, close to 12 schools, in which the pizza company Domino's appealed to councils after being refused permission to open a new outlet.

Michael Gove is MP for Surrey Heath constituency party.  Dispatches found that between November 2005 and December 2011, his constituency party accepted £49,541.25 from millionaire Moonpal Singh Grewal, the largest single shareholder in Domino's in the UK, and companies owned by him. Mr Grewal is also chair of Michael Gove's Constituency Party.

In addition, between June 2005 and November 2006, Mr Gove's Constituency Party accepted £6,805 from Surinder Kandola, the owner of 22 Domino's pizza franchises.

Whilst all the donations were above board and properly declared, Stephen Pound MP, who has led campaigns to prevent fast food outlets opening up near schools in his constituency, expressed his concern to Dispatches. He said:

"I'm stunned by what your investigation has turned up, I'll be honest with you there. Now politicians are normally supposed to pretend they all knew about this before anybody says it, but when you actually showed me proof that one of the largest shareholders in one of the biggest pizza companies in this country is not only the chairman of Michael Gove's constituency's association, but one of his largest financers - well, I'm sorry, he who pays the piper calls the tune. And if the money for Surrey Heath constituency is coming via the deep fat fryer, then how can Michael Gove possibly - possibly -be even handed about this?"

When Dispatches reporter Tazeen Ahmad asked Stephen Pound MP: "Do you think this does compromise his position?" He replied: "Inevitably it does. Inevitably. Because any single person who now objects to the dilution, the diminution, of the anti-obesity strategy will simply point to the flow of cash."

Chef Jamie Oliver who campaigned to improve school dinners added: "I think it proves that there's been too many occasions where such an important role has been represented by someone who is seemingly lack of basic common sense. Because you have to be very careful about who gives you money, because this is sounding very much like America now, where Domino's actually deliver a very large percentage of the school food service. So their sister company over the pond is making a lot of money out of school kids and they share lots of information - and they know where growth is."

 

The School Dinner Scandal - A Channel 4 Dispatches, made by production company  Nine Lives Media, airs on Monday 10th September at 8pm on Channel 4.

 

Notes to Editors:

• Channel 4 Dispatches sent two separate Freedom of Information Act requests in June 2012. The first was to 211 local authorities and boards in the UK. The second was to 357 academy schools 

 

• 190 of the 211 local authorities and school boards we contacted responded. Of the 357 academies, 108 responded