Post-Jamie Oliver, the junk food danger that still lurks at school gates

Children using takeaway shops at the school gates could be consuming more fat and salt in one meal than an adult's maximum daily recommendation.

New London-wide research has highlighted the health dangers for teenagers with meals such as kebabs, chips and fried chicken readily available within walking distance of their schools.

The snapshot study, carried out by London environmental health food teams on behalf of Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), will refuel fears over child obesity in London.
More than one in 10 children in the capital are obese despite Jamie Oliver-style drives by schools to encourage healthy eating among pupils.

The study, across 16 boroughs, found that despite some councils having stay-on-site policies at lunchtime, fast-food meals from local takeaway shops are still popular as after-school snacks or as an alternative to school lunches.

Meals chosen by secondary school children such as burgers, kebabs, pies, fried chicken and other fast food were analysed for their salt, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat and calorie content. Three in every four meals contained more salt than is permitted under standards for secondary school lunches, and more than half contained more saturated fat. Kebab meals on average contributed almost 100 per cent of an adult's daily maximum recommendation of salt.

Many of the takeaway items analysed were worse than products from leading fast-food chains such as McDonald's, Subway and Burger King.
Professor Graham MacGregor, of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, who is chairman of Cash, said: "With everything we know about the dangers of eating too much salt and saturated fat, keeping children's consumption of these below the recommended maximum limits is vital.

"Research shows that children who eat higher-salt diets go on to have higher blood pressure, and are therefore much more likely to have heart attacks and strokes than those who eat less salt. A high-salt diet is also linked with stomach cancer, osteoporosis and obesity."

Oliver said: "Both kids and their parents need to be aware that filling up on this kind of food on a regular basis, during lunch-break or after school, is a fast track to major health problems.

"This is why I've been pressing since 2005 for more education about food and cooking in schools, kids being taught how to cook nutritious meals and more progress in many schools to make the school lunch more appetising and the dining halls more attractive as places to eat."

A doner kebab from Tip Top Fish and Chips in Southall — yards from the gates of Featherstone High School — contained 7.4g of salt, more than an adult's daily recommendation of 6g, and four times the secondary school nutrient-based standard for salt.

For saturated fat the shop's kebab was even worse, containing 48.7g per portion, more than twice an adult's daily maximum limit of 20g and six times more than the secondary school nutrient-based standard.

But teenagers at the shop told the Standard that they did not like their healthy options at school and preferred a takeaway lunch.

Tip Top's owner, Abdul Waheed, defended his food — even though a kebab from his shop had the highest saturated fat content in the survey.
He said: "You have to have some fat to hold it [the doner meat] together. You can't make it without fat or it all falls apart. But ours is not as bad as in some places where you see the fat dripping off. It's not like that here because we do not use pig fat. We are halal and it is pure lamb."

The School Food Trust, established by the Department for Education, has consistently supported the use of stay-on-site policies at lunchtime, which are working well for many schools and have the backing of the majority of parents.

The trust's chairman, Rob Rees, said: "I think parents will be shocked to realise that their teenagers could be getting more than a day's dose of salt before they even get home from school. Schools are working really hard to give teenagers a lunchtime experience that can rival the high street while still being healthy. It's vital that this isn't undermined by nearby junk-food outlets."