Meals photo ban for school lunch blogger

Friday 15 June 2012

A nine-year-old Scots girl, whose online blog about her school lunches became an internet sensation and received more than two million views, has been banned from taking photographs of her meals.

Martha Payne started the NeverSeconds blog six weeks ago, posting images and opinions about what she had been served for lunch at her school's cafeteria in Lochgilphead, Argyll.

The blog gives a score out of 10, a "health rating" and even the number of hairs found in each meal. It has been supported by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who tweeted: "Shocking but inspirational blog. Keep going. Big love from Jamie x."

Martha's posts also featured pictures of school dinners sent to her by children in Germany, Spain and the US and she has also used the site to raise more than £3,000 for Mary's Meals, a charity which runs school feeding projects in communities around the world where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education.But now council bosses have stepped in and banned her pictures, claiming publicity had made catering staff fear for their jobs and was causing "distress and harm".And last night, Martha posted a goodbye message, which said: "This morning in maths I got taken out of class by my headteacher and taken to her office. I was told that I could not take any more photos of my school dinners because of a headline in a newspaper today."I only write my blog, not newspapers, and I am sad I am no longer allowed to take photos. I will miss sharing and rating my school dinners and I'll miss seeing the dinners you send me too."I don't think I will be able to finish raising enough money for a kitchen for Mary's Meals either."Martha's father, Dave, also wrote on the blog: "I felt it's important to add a few bits of info to the blog tonight. Martha's school have been brilliant and supportive from the beginning and I'd like to thank them all."I contacted Argyll and Bute Council when Martha told me what happened at school today and they told me it was their decision to ban Martha's photography."It is a shame that a blog that today went through two million hits, which has inspired debates at home and abroad and raised nearly £2,000 (now over £3,000) for charity, is forced to end."On the blog, at neverseconds.blogspot.co.uk, in one entry about having chicken fajitas for lunch, Martha wrote: "I'd really like to know where the chicken comes from so I am going to write to the lady in charge to ask. I know it comes from a hen but I'd like to know where the hen lived."Argyll and Bute Council said it "wholly refutes the unwarranted attacks on its schools catering service" and added that national headlines had led catering staff "to fear for their jobs".In a statement it said: "The council has directly avoided any criticism of anyone involved in the NeverSeconds blog for obvious reasons, despite a strongly held view that the information presented in it misrepresented the options and choices available to pupils, however this escalation means we had to act to protect staff from the distress and harm it was causing."In particular, the photographic images uploaded appear to only represent a fraction of the choices available to pupils, so a decision has been made by the council to stop photos being taken in the school canteen."There have been discussions between senior council staff and Martha's father. However, despite an acknowledgement that the media coverage has produced these unwarranted attacks, he intimated that he would continue with the blog."The council has had no complaints for the last two years about the quality of school meals other than one from the Payne family received on 6 June and there have been no changes to the service on offer since the introduction of the blog."The council said pupils have a daily choice of two meals from a menu designed with pupils, parents and teachers."Our summer menu is about to be launched and includes main course choices like meat or vegetarian lasagne served with carrots and garlic bread, or chicken pie with puff pastry, mashed potato and mixed vegetables," the statement said.It said pupils pay £2 for two courses which can be a starter and main or main and desert, with each meal coming with milk or water and as much salad or bread as they want. Salad, vegetables, fruit, yoghurt and cheese options are available every day.The council said these are standing options and not a result of any changes in response to the blog site.The statement went on: "As part of the curriculum for excellence, pupils in all our schools are regularly taught about healthy eating and at lunch breaks staff encourage pupils to make good choices from what is on offer."We use a system called 'Nutmeg' to make sure everything is nutritionally balanced. Our staff also get nutrition awareness training so they know how to provide a good healthy meal."There is portion size guidance which we adhere to and it is matched to the age of the child so they get the right amount of food. Second portions would mean too many calories for pupils."

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Meals photo ban for school lunch blogger

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