Jamie hit by dinner lady revolt

Dinner ladies were today in open revolt against Jamie Oliver's TV campaign to make school meals healthier.

Caterers said they had been left "bruised and demoralised" by the TV chef 's criticism of their food, and revealed that take-up of school meals has plummeted by almost 10 per cent since his high-profile attack on canteen nutrition.

They accused Oliver of putting their jobs at risk and claimed his mission has backfired by depriving some children of the only regular hot meal they receive.

Ministers were shamed into pledging an extra ?220million for meals after Oliver highlighted the appalling food at some schools. Thousands of dinner ladies must retrain because education chiefs say they need proper qualifications if standards are to be raised.

But before a conference of the Unison union on school meals in London today, Neil Porter, chairman of the Local Authority Caterers' Association, said pupils were deserting canteens because Oliver's Feed Me Better campaign had created the unfair impression that all school meals were bad.

He warned that if the decline in take-up continued, dinner ladies would have their hours cut and could even lose their jobs.