New initiatives

With the issues of obesity ever prevalent in the media, it was good to hear recently that as a measure to help tackle the problem, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has decided to introduce compulsory cooking lessons to the core curriculum, in England.  The aim is to ensure every 11-14 year old is given practical cooking lessons by 2011, teaching them how to turn cheap, fresh ingredients into healthy meals. This will build upon the ‘Licence to Cook’ programme, available from September 2008, which is an entitlement for all secondary school pupils to learn how to cook. Both programmes are integral measures in the Government’s current Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives strategy for England. 

A new campaign to reduce food waste is being launched today by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme), a Government-backed campaign that aims to get us all to reduce the amount of waste we produce.

According to WRAP's research, 6.7 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year and ends up in landfill when half of it could have been eaten. The research suggests this costs each household between £250 and £400 a year.