Prue Leith, the former Great British Bake Off judge, has sparked anger by suggesting that school meals should be 'compulsory' and that lunchboxes should be banned, claiming parents find it too challenging to send in healthy foods. She argues that parents can't say no when children ask for chocolate bars in the supermarket, so they shouldn't be allowed to send kids in with any food at all.
Freelance journalist Rhiannon Picton-James, writing for Metro, called the idea 'completely absurd' and rooted in classism. She pointed out that with schools in England about to roll out free lunches for more pupils, the focus should be on managing children's health first, not applying blame without thinking.
State schools flouting healthy food rules
Picton-James noted that recent studies show state schools aren't following the rules they set anyway. Three quarters of schools in England are serving up burgers and chips more often than is allowed, as well as sweets and crisps. No studies have as yet pointed to a rise in chocolate bars being purchased by parents.
The journalist, who lives in Wales where all children are entitled to free school meals regardless of household income, said she will continue sending packed lunches and snacks with her daughter despite her receiving free school meals. She explained that while her child has never been overweight, she has developed an obsession with asking if foods are nutritious or not before eating them since she started learning about 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods in school.
A history of lunchbox criticism
This isn't a new stance for Leith. In 2018 she said that lunchboxes should be banned because parents 'gave in to their children' and 'very few parents give out healthy lunchboxes'. Picton-James noted that Leith has never sent her child to a state school to experience the food on offer, with one child sent to Eton and the other to a public school in Oxford.
The journalist argued that the nutritional value of food in Britain seems to change depending on the class of the person consuming it. She cited the example of Marks and Spencer's viral sugary strawberries and cream sandwich, which didn't pay the standard 20% food tax rate on sugary food. Normally sandwiches are zero-rated for VAT since they are considered 'cold take away food', but since this sandwich has cream and strawberries, it's argued it's a confectionery, not a sandwich. Nonetheless, they were not charged extra.
Double standards over food choices
Picton-James highlighted that in Eton, a favourite on the menu is sausage beans and chips, while in state school, this staple is considered 'ultra processed food' and proof of bad parenting. She said the internet remains full of sneering about 'council estate dinners' and beige foods, showing that working class food is demonised while unhealthy foods on middle class menus are instantly elevated.
The journalist concluded that the state shouldn't have final say over what her child is allowed to eat. 'I'll take my chances with a home made cheese sandwich I know gets eaten,' she wrote, adding that if children are eligible for a free school meal and parents are choosing to go to the effort of making a packed lunch, there's probably a very good reason.
