JAMIE OLIVER VINDICATED: Study shows healthier school menu = higher test scores + better attendance in UK schools

[Percival Scott Fife]

David Letterman mocked Jaime Oliver's crusade to change the eating habits of the unhealthiest town in America-Huntington West, Virginia. Letterman may have made a fool of himself (again) by poking fun at Oliver's crusade.

From Guardian.co.uk 3/29/2010

"So Jamie Oliver will doubtless be relieved to hear of a timely reminder of his more gilded reputation back home. Today an audience of prestigious economists was told that the healthier school dinners introduced by the celebrity chef had not only significantly improved pupils' test results, but also cut the number of days they were off sick. The effects, researchers said, were comparable in magnitude to those seen after the introduction of the literacy hour in the 90s."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/mar/29/jamie-oliver-school...

From Telegraph.co.uk 3/31/2010

"For while Jamie's message on school dinners might have been sound, I still admired the parents in Yorkshire who rebelled against his dietary proselytising and plied their chunky offspring with pies, pasties and fish and chips through the playground railings. None of us like to be told what to do by those who make it clear that they know better. Jamie's missionary zeal for spreading the creed of lentil bakes and vegetable wraps made him an ally of the hated nanny state that has spread its tentacles far and wide since 1997."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/7540436/Jamie-Oliver-has-go...

From Telegraph.co.uk 2/1/2009

"An independent study showed the performance of 11-year-old pupils eating Oliver's meals improved in science and English, while absenteeism due to ill-health fell by 15 per cent.

The findings, from a report by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Essex University, focused on schools in Greenwich, southeast London, where Oliver launched his healthy eating campaign with Channel 4 in 2004. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4423132/Jamie-Ol...

ts-report-finds.html