Oliver said: “The logic behind this decision is extremely worrying. Why scrap a policy that gives every child access to a free school lunch and replace it with a policy that only gives breakfast to some? It doesn’t add up.
“Obesity hasn’t just happened overnight. We’ve all heard the staggering facts that one in four British adults are obese, and one in three UK kids leave primary school overweight or obese. Yet we’re continuing to walk into this crisis with our eyes now widely open, despite the impact it’s having on our health, our public services and economy.”
The Conservatives made the pledge to end the scheme yesterday at the launch of its manifesto and replace it with a free school breakfast initiative to increase the overall schools budget by £4 billion by 2022.
Read more reaction from LACA’s chair, the Children’s Food Trust CEO and NAHT’s general secretary.