Jamie Oliver is all about kids eating healthily – as his crusade on overly fatty and salty school dinners has proven.
However, he’s never been averse to a “glug” of oil in his cooking, throwing ingredients such as butter, salt and sugar in haphazardly without weighing them out.
And now Jamie has set his sights on school bake sales, writing a report for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation which says they send out the wrong message about healthy eating.
He wrote: “The culture of high fat and sugary foods used as rewards, in fundraising and in celebrations, is creating social and physical environments that contradict children’s food education.”
And his views have caused a firestorm of controversy, with Good Morning Britain inviting experts in to lend their thoughts.
Food blogger Jack Monroe and Jane O’Sullivan from the London Early Years Foundation talked about the topic, but fans on Twitter were all of one voice.
Many believe that Jamie’s picking an unnecessary battle with cake sales, saying they brought needed revenue into schools.
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And others said that kids should be taught to enjoy cakes and sweet treats in moderation.
Other commentators noted that Jamie has happily poured spoonfuls of sugar and cream into many of his dishes, with his recipe books featuring many high-sugar dishes.
June said that Jamie is like “Marmite – you love him or hate him” and went on to back him up, saying: “I think what he’s trying to do is simplify the message to people that actually we have a crisis and no one’s taking it seriously.
“There are many other ways of celebrating or raising money in schools.”
Jack Monroe disagreed, saying that banning cake sales could have a negative effect. She pointed out: “It’s about getting kids into the kitchen.”
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We won’t make any judgements on this – the only judging we’d like to do is, well, at a baking contest…