In 1904, the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Physical Deterioration found that over 120,000 children in London and approximately 15-16 percent in Manchester and similar cities, were underfed (Simon, 1965). As a result, the report stated ‘that the time has come when the State should realize the necessity of ensuring adequate nourishment to children in attendance at school’ remarking that subjecting ‘half-starved children to the processes of education’ was at the ‘height of cruelty’ (Inter-Departmental Committee on Physical Deterioration, 1904, p. 69). Following the recommendations put forward in the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Physical Deterioration, the Education (Provision of Meals) Act was passed in 1906,
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Yet, between the years of 1951 and 1970 the Conservative government and Labour government that followed were under increasing pressure to cut public expenditure. This lead to an increase in the price of school meals from 7d in 1953 to 1s 9d in 1969 (Gillard, 2003). It was this sharp increase in the price of school meals that was the beginning of the demise of the ‘nutritional’ school meal programme (Webster, …show more content…
Additionally, in 1986 the Social Security Act was passed which would further limit the entitlement to free school meals to children whose families were in receipt of Income Support (Gustafsson, 2002). As a result, 400,000 children lost their right to free school meals (White, et al., 1992). Furthermore, school meals provision became open to Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) as part of the 1986 Local Government Act, obliging local authorities to open up the school meals service by allowing other organisations, in addition to the local authority, to tender for the contract (Gordon & Lawton, 2004). Consequently, private companies were now in charge of many school’s provision of meals, and concerned with cutting costs, eliminating waste and maximising profits, resulting in the ‘easy option of providing popular fast-food items such as burgers and chips’ (Coronary Prevention Group, cited in The Guardian, 23 July 1999). During the 1980’s school meals provision was transformed from a free service into a ‘commercial operation driven by market forces’ (Cross & MacDonald, 2009, p. 2). Following the 1980 Education Act and 1986 Local Government Act and coupled with social and technological changes such as increased
Yet, between the years of 1951 and 1970 the Conservative government and Labour government that followed were under increasing pressure to cut public expenditure. This lead to an increase in the price of school meals from 7d in 1953 to 1s 9d in 1969 (Gillard, 2003). It was this sharp increase in the price of school meals that was the beginning of the demise of the ‘nutritional’ school meal programme (Webster, …show more content…
Additionally, in 1986 the Social Security Act was passed which would further limit the entitlement to free school meals to children whose families were in receipt of Income Support (Gustafsson, 2002). As a result, 400,000 children lost their right to free school meals (White, et al., 1992). Furthermore, school meals provision became open to Compulsory Competitive Tendering (CCT) as part of the 1986 Local Government Act, obliging local authorities to open up the school meals service by allowing other organisations, in addition to the local authority, to tender for the contract (Gordon & Lawton, 2004). Consequently, private companies were now in charge of many school’s provision of meals, and concerned with cutting costs, eliminating waste and maximising profits, resulting in the ‘easy option of providing popular fast-food items such as burgers and chips’ (Coronary Prevention Group, cited in The Guardian, 23 July 1999). During the 1980’s school meals provision was transformed from a free service into a ‘commercial operation driven by market forces’ (Cross & MacDonald, 2009, p. 2). Following the 1980 Education Act and 1986 Local Government Act and coupled with social and technological changes such as increased