Jamie Oliver wants to ban school bake sales (and for a good reason)

Trine Jensen-Burke

He has been tirelessly fighting for better and healthier school dinners, both at home in the UK and also in the US, where an alarming percentage of children are overweight or even classified as obese.

A trend that is mirrored back here on our shores as well, with figures showing that childhood obesity is on the rise.

And now it seems Jamie Oliver has his eyes set on cakes – and the good old tradition of the bake sales, and claims selling these treats at school functions are sending children the wrong message about healthy eating.

In a report sent out by his Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, the celebrity chef, and father-of-five, states:

“The culture of high fat and sugary foods used as rewards, in fundraising and in celebrations, is creating social and physical environments that contradict children’s food education.”

The report, produced in partnership with Sheffield University, comes on the back of research made by Oliver’s foundation, that found that 86 percent of secondary school teachers and 85 percent of primary school teachers in the UK said their school fundraising activities include cake and bake sales.

It is not hard to see then, how this can lead to children receiving mixed messages about nutrition, and what they should and should not eat.

As well as the bake sales, the research found that school were also using high fat and high sugar foods are rewards for different school related matters.

In fact, in one case, a secondary school offered doughnuts to forms with 100 percent attendance records over a month, and in another, students were offered Domino’s pizza and KFC meals as encouragement to take part in revision sessions that ran during a weekend.

Worryingly, the report also uncovered that unhealthy foods are still widely available and for sale in many secondary school, ensuring that a large percentage of students are opting for these foods over something more healthy and wholesome.

The Jamie Oliver Food Foundation is calling for all schools to become “healthy zones” where “pupils’ health and wellbeing are promoted throughout all parts of school life.”

What do YOU think, parents? Would a ban on bake sales be a good idea? Or should we still encourage and allow treats at times like school fetes and fundraisers? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie