Jamie Oliver New Year: School Lunch

By JULIETTE ROSSANT What is the cost of change? In the UK's countrywide school food revolution brought on by Jamie Oliver, the first victim is fatty food maker Cantebury Foods. The company called in administrators when it was unable to meet its debt payments. Canterbury Foods had supplied processed foods like sausage rolls and meat pies to pubs, restaurants, hotels, fast-food outlets and wholesalers who sold to school caterers. Paul Ainsworth, the chief executive of the company, told to The Times of London: “We made a lot of fatty foods and a lot of salty foods. There has been a change in the whole industry. Unfortunately events have overtaken us.” Last week a management buyout saved three of six factories and two hundred employees. A further four hundred workers are yet to learn their fate, according to The Times. The article goes on to say that Canterbury Foods sales have been declining since last July. “I don’t blame Jamie Oliver,” Mr Ainsworth said. “He’s been a catalyst for change. It’s a good change.” Canterbury Foods tried to change too. It brought out lower-fat sausage rolls but to no avail. School lunches in the UK and the US have to change. Superchefblog has made its New Year's resolution: to publicize the improvement of school lunches in the United States (see previous article). Chefs: get out there, and rattle your pots and pans, and let's see some change in the New Year! Let's catch up with the UK. Fatty food makers selling to schools will have to change their products or suffer the fate of Cantebury Foods. Previous articles: Jamie Oliver on Vodafone Live Fat Lady Sings Jamie Oliver Jamie Oliver: Real Guts Jamie Oliver: School Lunch Alice Waters: Ms. Smith Goes to Washington Wall Street Journal: Beef over Chef Sponsorship? Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog