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Chef Jamie Oliver has announced he is planning to spend millions of his own money on a 10-year plan to improve meals in UK primary schools, as well as educate children and parents on healthy eating. Oliver said that, after learning that the UK is the most unhealthy country in Europe, with a generation of kids expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents, he is determined to improve the situation – even if it means money out of his pocket.

Feed Me Better – please

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The Feed Me Better campaign initiated by Chef Jamie Oliver, who, appalled by the food served in UK schools, was started in 2004 and has been a resounding success. He collected 271,677 signatures in a petition that was handed over to Downing Street. In what might have been a response to his School Dinners programme on Channel Four, on 30 March 2005, the government announced they would dedicate £280 million pounds to tackling England’s school meals programme.

Better food, smarter kids

Last month, a study found that Chef Jamie Oliver’s Feed Me Better campaign had boosted school children’s test results by an impressive 15 per cent. The number of ‘authorised absences’ (usually due to illness) fell by 15 per cent in Greenwich, south London, according to a study in the London borough. Researchers estimated that the proportion of school kids who got level 4 in their English Sats at key stage 2 increased by 4.5 percentage points and the percentage that got level 5 in science was up 6 percentage points.

A percentage of profit form every company

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Chef Jamie Oliver told the BBC, ‘Probably what I am going to do over the next 10 to 15 years is literally have a percentage of profits from every single company that I have which hives cash down.’ He added, ‘If, in terms of parents and teachers, they can put all their ducks in a row then literally hundreds of thousands of pounds will be spent on that school. It will build gardens, build school kitchens, give them seeds and fruit trees as well as teaching collateral including web sites, DVDs and conferences.’ Oliver would have mentors on hand to provide food education support.

The food revolution is officially underway in the UK. Do your bit by cooking healthy meals for your families. Grill, don’t fry; steam, don’t boil. And take-out – well, is out!

Tags: healthy, healthy Eating, jamie oliver