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sQuid can support healthy eating in schools
7 Jul 2010

Our children's diet has been thrust into the limelight over the past few years amid a number of worrying obesity statistics.

A quarter of all teenagers are now defined as obese as Britain's youngsters indulge in a lifestyle of high-fat foods and little exercise.

Worryingly, these figures show little sign of decline as highlighted by a recent government study. 

The Office of National Statistics revealed in its Social Trends 2010 report that overweight and obesity rates in English under-16s rose from 25 per cent in 1995 to 30 per cent in 2008.

Results in Scotland and Wales were even more startling, as rates hit 32 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.

Beverley Baker, chair of the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA), claimed the situation has become an epidemic and that action needs to be taken to halt this depressing trend. 

In a bid to cut obesity rates, industry magazine Caterer and Hotelkeeper, in association with LACA, has launched the School Meals Matter campaign.

The campaign aims to promote the importance of healthy school meals and encourage youngsters to eat well from an early age in order to continue these eating habits throughout their adult lives.

Jamie Oliver's healthy school meals campaign secured significant funding for school catering via a government grant but this is due to run out in 2011.

With cuts to school meals looming, the scheme aims to secure funding which will guarantee the same level of service in the future.

One method of improving the current situation is by introducing cashless catering systems, such as the pre-paid contactless smart card offered by sQuidcard.

Parents can load money onto the card, allowing children to quickly and securely buy their school meals.

She underlined how children will be encouraged to eat healthier school meals instead of fast food as youngsters enjoy using the smart cards in school cafeterias. "Cashless systems can support health eating,” Ms Baker said.

"Cashless catering is absolutely the way to go," she said, "It's much more convenient for kids and it helps cut down school administration."

Children can benefit from reduced queuing times as transactions are quicker, while they no longer have to worry about carrying cash.

Furthermore, administration will be cut down as schools will no longer require paper records for stock levels.

Cashless payment solutions also enable schools to record children's purchases and relay this information back to parents.

This can help ensure students are spending money on the right types of food in the school canteen, rather than down the local chip shop.

The schemes may persuade some of the 250,000 eligible children who choose not to take a free school meal to do so.

Cashless catering promotes social inclusivity as children on free school meals are indistinguishable from those who pay for their food, something Ms Baker says is "absolutely a positive" of cashless catering.

Free school meals are seen as a vital tool in the fight against obesity, as they provide children from low income families with a well-balanced meal every day.

According to Ms Baker, a more holistic approach to school meals is needed to make a real difference in the fight against obesity.

"School meals shouldn't be seen as on the sidelines of the education system. They should be fully integrated into schools overall agenda" she said.

"If we see the aim of the whole education system as making sure children exceed their potential and contribute to society then I think healthy eating should be a key part of children achieving that."

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