From the Scotsman:
"What’s the point of our elected representatives? In this week, of all weeks, it’s a very pertinent question."
"Most people would agree it is about protecting our health and security and seeking to make life better. And that’s exactly what North Lanarkshire Council did last year when they introduced a ban on burger vans outside school gates."
"Most people would agree it is about protecting our health and security and seeking to make life better. And that’s exactly what North Lanarkshire Council did last year when they introduced a ban on burger vans outside school gates."
"With one in six Scottish children now classed as obese, the council acted out of a sense of moral duty to tackle the problem. Sadly, that approach isn’t shared by everyone."
"Earlier this week a group of burger van owners went to court to challenge the ban which prevented them trading within 250 metres of school premises."
"In a written judgment, Sheriff Vincent Smith acknowledged the motive for the move: `That obesity among the general population and children especially is considered problematic is not in dispute`."
"However, he went on to overturn the ban on the basis that the local authority simply didn’t have the power within existing legislation to restrict street trading in this way."
Read more: http://www.scotsman.com/news/stephen-jardine-time-to-protect-school-children-1-3967125#ixzz3tYN3BvXo
MY veiw on Burger Vans is do not panic they the Pupils are not Gorging themselves as proven by the flock of seagulls and Crows that are attached to the ritual where a lot of food is discarded . They are Social Events where there is a routIne buying in queues .An extended Lunch Time may offer time and thought into purchases or even using the School Diner Hall . More interaction outside School is a preference for many and a healthy walk after sitting about and not herded around in tight corridors .Monitored by Teachers al the time .
ReplyDeleteSo burger vans outside the school offer the possibility of an unmonitored walk about and the opportunity to meet up with pals. Good point.
ReplyDeleteAnd we must not assume they are not selling veggie burgers and salad rolls, too, I suppose.
Cooking and healthy eating are part of Curriculum for Excellence these days. Do you see that as helping the obesity problem in the long run ?
Cooking and healthy eating are part of Curriculum for Excellence ,NO.... only added pressure in areas where poverty becomes an issue and constant debating and negative gossip over food .An education regarding food there sources and recipes more helpful .Again extended Lunch breaks allow a social interaction and space for thoughtfull eating if requred as it not compulsory or should not be . The Curriculum for Excellence will only instigate Rules not required .leading Parental pressure THAT HAS never been a problem over the Decades .
ReplyDeleteIf we lived in a sunnier clime, with extended lungh breaks, we might have developed a more Mediterranean diet.
ReplyDeleteBut in the bleary North you can uderstand why the poor might fix their hunger with a more high fat diet, perhaps.
Maybe it is best to reward burger vans for selling cheap, healthy products with plenty of good publicity, rather than issuing council rules and regulations that nobody really likes.
As for Curriculum for Excellence promoting health eating, we`ll see ...