3rd May 2005

Food survey for children at primary schools.
Have you heard that the authority's is asking young children this week what they would like to eat for school meals? We say that children should be given what they need, not what they want. This is what one parent who is a social researcher thinks. If you agree with her then send a copy of this to your headteacher and school governors as soon as possible.

Dear Mr Judge

I am a social researcher in a university social research unit. I have a great deal of experience of working with parents and children and also of designing questionnaires - and I would not agree to distribute the children's survey without explaining to parents what the intended use is. This is not getting side-tracked from the central issue of improving school meals - the use of the results could be key to how school meals are developed. It could also be used for commercial or political gain - for example the Council saying something along the lines of 'but the children say they like the food - they'd like more pizza and they don't want 'bits' on top and the caterers are responding to this...'

Children do not know that they are eating the cheapest ingredients and are hardly likely to ask for pizzas etc... with more nutritional value as a specific request. As adults we understand that the same type of food can, in nutritional terms, be either very poor or quite alright depending on the quality of the ingredients e.g. chicken breast nuggets with breadcrumb as opposed to reconstituted fat and bits of meat and bone from various different animals, covered in batter that contains huge quantities of fat and additives.

Recent research by the Food Standards Agency (http://www.timesonline.co.uk) found that children will choose less healthy options if left to their own devices; this is welcome research but not rocket science - any parent will tell you that. It is our duty as parents, and schools as loco parentis, to guide and safeguard children. At times adults also have to be educated - and the Council is in the position of being able to do that by helping parents - please don't miss this opportunity.

For your information, I am a Merton parent whose children do not have school meals - my youngest was unfortunate enough to be 'tried out' on the cold school meals but they were so poor that even at the tender age of eight he came home to tell me that they were disgusting - "they have the crisps like the ones the newsagents sell for 10p" ... and so we cancelled in a week. My eldest is at secondary school in Merton and refuses to spend his money in the canteen since seeing the inside of a sausage roll his friend was eating. Sadly, in that same school, they have been fighting a long battle just to get a water fountain.

The lobbying for better school meals is one part of a wider push; I think I can speak for many when I say that I see it now as a public health matter and a political issue.

I would appreciate a reply acknowledging receipt of this email. I enclose below this letter a copy of the email I have sent to the local Guardian.

Best wishes

Joanne Sibthorpe

Speaking as a Merton parent and a professional social researcher I am concerned about the proposed children’s survey of school meals, which is due to be distributed to some Merton primary schools this week. Asking for and respecting children’s views is welcome – however when it comes to a survey that could potentially be used for commercial or political gain, we must be clear about the use of resulting data.

If Merton Council and/or the school meals contractors Initial intend to use the survey results in support of themselves against parents who are lobbying for better food in schools then from a professional viewpoint and as a parent I would consider this unethical.

Parents should be advised of who is carrying out the research and of the intended use and dissemination of the results prior to the survey being conducted - and ideally offered the chance to ‘opt-out’ their child/ren. The children must be told that they do not have to take part if they don't want to. The questionnaire itself should be tailored to the ages of the children and the content unbiased. For credibility of results if used outside of the contractor's organisation various criteria should be met, including that pertaining to bias, and the results should be analysed by independent researchers.

To avoid potential misunderstandings and to enable parents to make an informed choice, perhaps the contractors would advise the following, by return letter to the Guardian: which organisation designed the questionnaire; who funded it; which organisation will be analysing it; whether they will be seeking parental consent; and what the intended use of the results is.

Joanne Sibthorpe

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