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" The number of school meals being eaten by secondary school pupils is at an all-time low, according to official figures.  Statistics from the Local Authorities Catering Association (LACA) reveal that there has been a 20 per cent fall in the uptake of secondary school meals in the last two years and that now only four out of ten pupils are choosing to eat the lunch provided.  This represents the lowest number of school meals being consumed since they were made mandatory in 1944.  It has been suggested that Jamie Oliver&amp;#039;s television campaign to promote healthier meals in schools, aired two years ago, may be to blame for the dramatic fall. Despite prime minister Gordon Brown, who was chancellor at the time, shelling out an extra \u00A3235 million on improving the quality of school meals, it now appears that young people are shunning organic, fresh and healthy ingredients in favour of packed lunches, takeaways and junk food.  However, a spokeswoman for LACA remains hopeful for the future of school meals.  She said: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s not because of Jamie Oliver but because of changes in government regulations on school foods since 2006. &amp;quot;At the moment it&amp;#039;s early days and children are reacting. We&amp;#039;ve got to have a realistic approach to this. I think the numbers will rise in the long-term,&amp;quot; she added. In his TV series, Jamie&amp;#039;s School Dinners, Oliver focused on the diet and nutrition of school children and promoted the provision of healthier meals. \u00A9 Adfero Ltd "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a15454/secondary-school-pupils-shun-meals/>