Replacing cheap and unhealthy rubbish with decent food, however, won'tcome cheap and the 235m the Government is spending to improve thefood amounts to little more than 1,000 to 2,000 for eachschool a year.
But schools minister Jacqui Smith says the money will lead to longtermimprovements. "Let's be clear, there's already a large amount of moneybeing spent on school food, and a large amount of money in our schools.The Government has never centrally subsided school meals. It has alwaysbeen the responsibility of local authorities, schools and parents," shesays.
The money, she explains, is there to deliver short-term changes inschool meals such as more staff training and better ingredients. "For atransitional period we need a bit of oomph - no way did we ever say thatwas the only investment that was necessary to change school meals."
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