The celebrity chef, who has been a staunch campaigner of healthier food options in schools, spoke recently to the select committee of health inequalities in Westminster. He argued that the lack of education and training in how to provide healthier options had fuelled the obesity crisis in the UK.

In his recent criticism of food education, he said that there were flaws in the government’s plans to teach primary school children to cook because, unless education inspectors were going to assess the cookery classes, there would be no way of knowing whether they were working.

Furthermore, Oliver said that it is a “bloody disgrace” that only 5,000 out of the 125,000 of the nation’s school dinner ladies had received any training since 2005, when the government pledged £650 million to improved food in schools.

However, the School Food Trust said it is impossible to put a figure on the amount of school catering staff involved, and suggested that the total figure of 125,000 dinner ladies quoted by Oliver could also cover other roles, such as lunchtime supervisors, catering administration employees and kitchen assistants.

Oliver blamed local authorities for being too lax in granting permission to fast food outlets and warned of “an incredibly profound” health crisis caused by poor nutrition. However, he pointed out that the healthy eating issue had transcended both class and money and was more a result of lack of “knowledge”.

“There are plenty of City boys, who earn well, used to earn a lot of money, who can’t nourish their kids, even on a gold [credit] card. I can tell you categorically that it is not about money or time – it is about knowledge,” he said.

“In this, the fifth-richest country in the world, there is a new poverty that I have never seen before. This isn’t about fresh trainers or mobile phones, or Sky dishes or plasma TV screens – they’ve got all that. It is a poverty of being able to nourish their family, in any class. This is the first time in British history that we have a large number of people who can’t cook.”

He also advised the committee to appoint a food tsar who could monitor and implement the necessary steps to introduce healthy eating to young people. He asked: “Why isn’t there a minister of food? Why isn’t someone from the private sector all over this like a rash? Why haven’t we got one person driving this for the next ten years?”

But he dismissed suggestions of himself taking up this post as it was more effective being on the “periphery” than “inside”.

There has been some positive response to the government’s healthier eating campaign, and Oliver’s call for food education. Bristol City College is set to host a school FEAST (Food Excellence and Skills Training) event on 13th November, which aims to encourage healthier eating in South West schools. 

The FEAST network brings together training providers offering skills development. The college is inviting the region’s chefs, kitchen assistants, lunchtime supervisors and teachers to improve children’s health and tackle obesity.
Sharon Sexton, dietician and Transforming Schools Meals Co-ordinator at Bristol City Council, is due to be the guest speaker at the event. There will also be a live cookery demonstration by Clare Allen from the Bordeaux Quay Cookery School.

Keith Elliot, Bristol College City University principal, said: “I am delighted to announce the launch of the of the school FEAST initiative. School staff play a key role in the provision of healthy meals, and as part of the school FEAST network, we hope to work with the region’s schools to make sure they get the training they need to help them meet the government guidelines for healthy, nutritional schools meals.”

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