Let's keep Turkey Twizzlers at bay

School dinner figures are in decline, but instead of abandoning healthy meals for our children we need to do even more to encourage them.

School dinner numbers are down. The Lib Dems' spokesman on children, schools and families, David Laws, says: "There is no point serving healthy meals if pupils aren't eating them."

So what sort of meals should we be serving pupils? Surely he can't be in favour of returning to the bad old days, pre-Jamie, when it was possible for a child to buy a bag of crisps and a fizzy drink for a school lunch?

Many kids, including those entitled to free school meals, who previously were counted as having a "school dinner" were simply buying confectionery, sugary drinks and chips. My own son once bought five Mars bars from his school canteen and would have been counted as having a school meal that day. The School Food Trust guidelines mean schools are no longer able to get away with this.

But it isn't good enough simply to remove the junk. Caterers need to replace it with good quality tasty food at affordable prices, and give children enough time to eat it. All schools have had to do the former - how many have gone on to do the latter?

It is simply not the case that kids won't eat decent food. Jamie Oliver, Jeanette Orrey and other pioneers have proved the exact opposite - good quality food can boost take-up significantly. But schools can't achieve this without training staff, developing kitchens capable of cooking fresh ingredients (many PFI school "kitchens" are simply places to reheat pre-prepared processed junk) and refitting school canteens.

Even where schools have made supreme efforts to improve the food, the dire lunchtime arrangements often sabotage the numbers. Just ask your children about their school canteen experience - chances are they will moan about the length of the queues (20-minute waits are not uncommon). High schools in my local borough, Merton, have 1,200 students yet only around 150 spaces at tables. Many children simply can't face the wait and opt to go and play instead. Teaching staff are forced to use their lunch hour policing the queues, as inevitably such long waits lead to many children trying to push in. Noise levels in the hall are often unbearably loud.

Pricing is also an issue. In the past, caterers were able to use the profits from selling confectionery to subsidise the cost of proper school lunches. Shamefully, some schools look to make a profit from selling food to kids to subsidise education budgets.

Unless we take effective action to radically change children's eating habits, half of this country's youth is doomed to the ill health that goes with obesity according to government projections. Schools didn't cause this crisis. But they can play a big part in solving it, by showing children that healthy food can be a pleasure to eat. And no, I'm not talking about exotic "health" food but basic, good quality ingredients, carefully prepared and served in civilised conditions.

A bit of parent power is needed here. That's why Merton Parents for Better Food in School is organising a national conference in London on October 16, to establish a network of parents prepared to put pressure on local authorities and schools to make the radical changes needed. It's free - including a healthy lunch. To register, email paula@mertonparents.co.uk.