Should Irish schools serve their students a free healthy meal at lunchtime?And how much might it cost? John Downes asks the experts
Love him or loathe him, there is little doubt that millionaire celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has succeeded in putting the dietary habits of the UK's schoolchildren firmly on the political menu.
His campaign, which recently won the backing of British prime minister Tony Blair, has resulted in close to 300,000 people signing a petition calling for schools to ban junk food in favour of fresh nutritious meals.
The "Feed me better" campaign, which is tied to the Jamie's School Dinners TV series, has led to a commitment from Mr Blair that his government will work to improve the quality of school meals.
But what about in Ireland? Given the alarming rise in childhood obesity levels, are our schoolchildren eating healthily? And what can - and is - being done to address the issue?
The reality is that the majority of Ireland's schoolchildren are not guaranteed at least one free healthy meal per day provided by their school. There are a number of reasons for this.
Teacher leaders say the existence of a fully functioning school canteen is, for many schools, more the exception than the rule.
But even when schools can offer children a full hot lunch, human nature frequently dictates that children and adolescents will choose "junk food" over any healthy alternatives which are on offer.
According to Asti president Susie Hall, changes in family lifestyles may also have played a role. The days when students returned home after school to a healthy and nutritious meal are "long gone", she says.
At a time when both parents work in an increasing number of families, many simply do not have the time to cook such meals. Instead, they tend to go for something quick and relatively easy to prepare.
"Parents are increasingly busy and stressed with their own lives," Ms Hall added. "So students often also get some money to get their lunch on the way to school - and they take it to buy rubbish."
Government initiatives have been introduced to target students from less well-off backgrounds. These include the school meals programme, administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, which aims to supplement the nutritional intake of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The department estimates that 386 schools, with a total of over 50,800 pupils, benefited from the urban scheme in 2004, while 387 projects (schools and voluntary organisations) received funding benefiting some 41,300 children attending 326 national and 125 secondary schools.
Similarly, meal provision is an integral element of the school-completion programme, the Department of Education and Science's main programme for tackling early school-leaving.
The department also plays a role in educating students about healthy eating through initiatives such as the social, personal and health education programme.
When healthy meals are provided to children, they are successful, says Mark McDonald, co-ordinator of the Dublin 17 school-completion project, which provides meals to five primary schools and one secondary school on the northside of Dublin.
He says there is a noticeable difference between a child who has eaten a nutritious meal and the often hyperactive student who is filled with fizzy soft drinks and chocolate.
"There is also a social element," he says. "Students might have difficulties in their background. But first thing in the morning, they are meeting their friends in school, not a teacher in the classroom. So school becomes a more welcoming place."
But should such programmes be extended to every school in the country so that all students get at least one healthy meal a day? A key consideration is the cost of doing so, says John Carr, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation.
For example, if primary schools around the country were expected to provide a full cooked meal - which in an ideal world the INTO would support - this would require huge investment to allow kitchens to be built in schools which frequently still have below-standard classrooms, he says.
Mr Carr believes, however, that wealthier parents, who already have to pay for their child's lunch, would be happy enough to do so if they could be sure their child was getting a healthy meal at school.
The emphasis, at least initially, should be on targeting children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to Kevin Thornton of the two-Michelin star Thorntons restaurant in Dublin, parents can take steps to reduce the amount of processed food their children consume.
Supermarkets tend to dictate the choices open to parents, he says. As a result, where possible they should look to source fresh, nutritious ingredients from more traditional markets. "When I go to the supermarket and look at people's baskets, it is kind of scary," he says. "Most people are in a hurry, but food is a community thing . . . as the food industry is huge, they are calling the shots."
Recent surveys have shown that "food poverty" is a significant problem for many families from less well-off backgrounds, however.
While driving to the nearest market and buying fresh ingredients might be realistic for those who can afford it, this is not necessarily the case for anyone living on a reduced income.
In designing and pricing our sample menu, Mr Thornton took into account a number of considerations. Many people have a false impression that fish is expensive, he says. But if you buy it in season, it can be reasonably priced. His estimated price allows for the highest price in season and preparing the meal at home.
Thornton also believes battery farm chicken should never be used and says that at €2.95, his free-range chicken option is "not exorbitant". Furthermore, when cooking for large parties, nothing should go to waste, he adds.
In truth, Jamie Oliver's promised land of every student eating a healthy school meal seems a long way off in Ireland. The Department of Social and Family Affairs says its Minister, Séamus Brennan, has made tackling childhood poverty a major priority and the school meals programme may be looked at again in this regard.
While there are no plans to look at the issue of providing every student with a free lunch, a spokeswoman says the idea has not been ruled out.
But the Department of Education and Science is somewhat more circumspect on an issue which could have such huge resourcing implications for the Government.
A spokeswoman refused to comment on the possibility of guaranteeing at least one free healthy lunch to every child in the country.
For his part, Mr Thornton says that such a guarantee could impact on the general wellbeing of Ireland's schoolchildren, particularly if accompanied by exercise. "Of course it would make a difference if you are getting one good meal a day," he says. "You are what you eat . . . good food will make you happy."