Alex Miller
In March, Scottish Socialist Party MSP Frances Curran launched a campaign aimed at securing legislation in the Scottish Parliament that would provide a daily free, nutritious school meal for all children in Scottish schools.
The SSP bill also includes a demand that the Scottish Parliament have the power to ban junk food sales and advertising in schools.
Curran told the BBC on March 18: "All of the health statistics make it clear that if we do not do something now then the future generations are going to be in very bad health and they will also be dying younger.
"We also think that as an anti-poverty measure it is one of the most important measures we can take."
The SSP's 2002 attempt at introducing free school meals legislation was supported by 80% of the Scottish population, as well as individual MSPs in five of Scotland's six main political parties, the British Medical Council, the Child Poverty Action Group, and a number of community and trade union organisations. Nevertheless, the bill was thrown out by a dishonourable coalition of Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat MSPs.
Since then, child obesity levels, and the associated health problems, have been soaring, with Scottish children assaulted by a barrage of junk food and soft-drink ads and promotions in schools. Fat-laden meals and high-sugar snacks and drinks are readily available in school canteens.
One report suggests that in the past five years, the average waistline of Scottish children has increased by five inches: equivalent to two full clothes sizes.
The Scottish Socialist Voice reported on March 19 that Coca-Cola is sponsoring a national seven-a-side soccer competition for Scottish 12-13 year olds, and that one local council in Renfrewshire actually has a Football Development Officer sponsored by McDonald's.
The SSP's proposal would do much to stop Scotland's slide into an US-style obesity disaster.
It is estimated that it would cost £174 million a year to provide universal free school meals to Scotland's 750,000 school children. According to the SSP's 2003 election manifesto, obesity-related problems in Scotland cost the National Health Service £250 million a year.
[For more details on the campaign, visit the SSP website <http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org> or the Child Poverty Action Group at <http://www.cpag.org.uk/scotland>.]
From Green Left Weekly, April 21, 2004.
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