Call to ban school junk-food machines

Most parents would like vending machines selling junk food snacks banned from schools, a survey has found.

An overwhelming 81 per cent of parents said they would like to see the machines, which sell crisps, sweets, chocolates and fizzy drinks, removed from schools as a way of improving children's diet.

The dispensers, which can each earn a school up to £15,000 year, have become so widespread that the Government's food watchdog has warned that in some schools it is easier to buy a can of Coca-Cola than to get a glass of water.

The poll's findings come amid evidence that Britain is facing an obesity "timebomb", where 10 per cent of six-year-olds and 15 per cent of 15-year-olds are obese. And by 2010 a quarter of British adults could be clinically obese, largely owing to the poor diets of today's youngsters.

The survey, conducted by YouGov, found that more than a quarter of all parents are concerned that their children might become obese, and 14 per cent blamed lack of exercise and PE at schools for the problem.

Over a quarter of all parents surveyed nationally said that advertising and marketing has the greatest influence on what children eat, and 14 per cent want the Government to introduce legislation controlling the sugar and fat levels in snack food. Five per cent even want a ban on all food advertising targeting children.

Although concerned parents want vending machines removed from schools, sceptics say in the long run it won't stop youngsters from eating junk food and may be damaging to a school financially.

John Dunford, General Secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said: "Schools make considerable financial benefit from these machines, which then benefit school education because the money then goes into the overall budget. And secondly, schools cannot stop children buying these snacks and drinks because they prefer them. So they will go off the premises to go and buy them, whereas if you had the machines, they would actually stay on the premises, which is safer."

Fee-paying Reed's School in Cobham, Surrey, has already banned the sale of chocolate, sweets and fizzy drinks in order to encourage healthy eating among its pupils and improve their behaviour.

Headmaster David Jarrett imposed the ban, closing the school's tuck shop and re-stocking its 10 vending machines. In their place they sold food free from additives - flapjacks, oat cookies, fruit muffins, dried fruits, sesame seeds and yoghurts.

Mr Jarrett said: "Obviously, children love sweets and chocolate but when they returned to class, you could see how the e-numbers were affecting them. We have since noticed a significant improvement in behaviour."

New York's school authority, the largest in the US, announced a ban on the sale of sweets and fizzy drinks in schools in June. The Seattle Schools Board reached a compromise by renewing a fiveyear drinks contract, but restricting the sales of fizzy beverages to outside school hours.

The Food Standards Agency launched a discussion paper earlier this month that could lead to a possible ban or tough restrictions on advertising of fattening, salty and sugary products on TV and in stores. If legislation is introduced, then adverts such as the series in which Gary Lineker endorses Walkers Crisps could be banned.

The YouGov poll surveyed 2405 adults across the UK on the internet for Spiked Online magazine.