Jamie Olivers rant about packed lunches.

[misdee]

LONDON (Reuters) - Jamie Oliver, the television chef famous for his crusade to improve school dinners, lashed out at parents on Thursday over the food they give to their children.

Speaking at the launch of his new TV programme, Oliver said 70 percent of packed lunches in were "disgraceful" and he would like to see them banned.

He said the decisions parents made regarding the diets of their children
were sometimes just plain wrong.
"I've spent two years being politically correct about parents but it's time to say, if you're giving your young kids fizzy drinks, you're an a*hole and a tosser," Oliver said.

"If you give them bags of crisps, you're an idiot. If you aren't cooking them a hot meal, sort it out."

Oliver said headteachers were too frightened of some parents to tell them what they should give their child to bring to school.

He was particularly critical of parents who give their children Red Bull an energy drink when they are tired, saying it was not much better than giving them a line of cocaine.

Oliver's new programme, "Jamie's Return to School Dinners", is a follow-up to his successful Channel 4 series on improving school meals.

HE should be minister for food

Malory, I dont think his comments were directed at the likes of you.....

i mean, i'm not so lazy now, almost every meal is now fresh food.

oh fgs
w ho c ares

i don't anymore really parp

lol
its only HIS opinion
wo cares
if oyu thin you do the best for your kid then WALK ON BY

If he's lining his pocket while he does this, whatever, i don't give a damn.
The schools may have been on about this but they have no way made as much diffrence in years and years of trying as JO did in a relatively very short time.
And if the schools were so up on healthy eating what are turkey twizzlers about. Where are the healthy options? MAny schools weren't offering a balanced healthy diet and many parents are guilty of the same with packed lunches.

sod it, don't care if it's uncool to be passionate about food, but I am and I think this is important, so there!

Well, I agree to an extent about the crisps. But I'm rather glad he didn't butt out. He made a national issue out of the disgrace that was school meals, and deserves respect for that. Honestly Malory, if you could see the appalling excuse for food that was served in the school where I used to teach you would say more power to his elbow. These new recommendations may not sound like much, but they will substantially improve the meals at that school and I suspect many like it, so you can imagine the crap that used to be sold. I seriously doubt the new recommendations would ever have come abot if it wasn't for Jamie Oliver and the publicity he generated.

That was the impression I was given by the quote too, Malory.

Actually don't give a t*ss what Jamie Oliver thinks of my kids food TBH. Perhaps THAT makes me a bad parent...

What's wrong with you lot.
If you give your kids a healthy balanced diet, don't worry about him, he's not referring to you.
Some people out there though give their kids crap. It's lunchboxes he's working on as it relates to his school theme, runs on from that.
Of course it's all about a mix of healthy lunch and dinner but there are some people who do neither and he's trying to educate those people and suggest alternatives.
If you give your kid a ham sandwich and crisps for lunch every day bit they eat veg and fruit all the time at home he's not aiming this programme at you.

But if you kids are healthy at home, why not at school too?

I am new here...but...I agree with JO, especially with his comment regarding giving kids Red Bull (because they are tired...give me a break!). It's my opinion that the stuff is poison even for adults. I just can't believe parents give it to their kids!!!!

wow, you lot are amazing. never let the facts get in the way of a good punch-up on mumsnet.

i've told you the context of the quote, i've seen the programme.

that the press went to a screening of the show last night and have chosen to pick up on some more inflammatory comments which he made when he was upset on camera (i know they're reporting it as if he said it at a press conference, but he didn't) is hardly surprising. that's their job, to sell papers, and to get people talking. (well, to sell papers.)

but what jamie oliver said was in response to a situation, not just some rant about lunchboxes, as i have explained.

none of you, believe me, will feel in the least bit offended when you've actually seen the programme. (well, you might think his attitude with tony blair is a bit obsequious but apart from that...)

he's having a go at a specific group of parents, and is angry at the fact that our school system does not do anything to help those children while they are in loco parentis.

hear hear TC

yes the cheeky chappie stuff is annoying, but how many celebrities can be arsed to try to change things for the better?

hurrah for JO I say

Oh yes molesworth, quite so.

orlando

haven't read whole thread too long but just cannot stand JO , i find all his "public soapboxing" seems ot go on just before the launch of some new book/tv programme etc, he is not a chef but celebrity. I often wonder how often he sits down to the famly meal he so publically lauds ? not much considering his work schedule - my father was a chef and he worked from 6am to midnight and that was in 1 restaurant. I can only imagine what JO work schedule is like...
As far as the OP comments from him, the only people he inspires / gets worried about their kids nutrition are the anxious middle class parents who most likely are already doing hteir best for their children. I do agree that more cooking / family meals etc would be great for this country but people like JO don't actually help. The parents who put crap in their kids lunch boxes actually need help , support and likely parenting skills - to empower them to try to change their kids diet instead of just putting in hte crap "because thats all little jonny will eat". TBH these parents probably think JO is a rich w*kr. PS i would just love to see a photo of Jools feeding little daisy poppety poo ( or whatever she is called) a bag of crisps in the trolley while shopping in tescos !!!!

I want JO to have a go about school 'birthday treats' as well. you knwo, where the kids stand at the doll and hand out lollipops or bags of haribo.

oh fgs, of course his comments are reported when he has a new book or show out.
that's when they have the press launch, where they invite journalists who turn up and pick out the most inflammatory quote and put it in the paper for you lot to get your knickers in a twist about.

im with thomcat
whats hte prob
if you liek him fien
if you dont IFNE

mummydoc, I find your attitude really depressing

has JO not brought about a change for the better in school meals?

I don't understand how anyone can knock him for that

and i think it's pretty offensive to suggest that only middle class parents will bother to try to feed their children properly after seeing one of his shows.

and he does get quite a result out of blair by the end, i can assure you. (whether or not the gov will actually make it happen is another thing).