Jamie visits House of Commons
This week Jamie was invited to appear before the House of Commons Health Select Committee. They are carrying out an inquiry into health inequalities and wanted to hear about Jamie’s social campaigns on School Dinners, Ministry of Food and the Fifteen Foundation. The committee is made up of a cross section of MP’s and their job is to scrutinize the work and policy development of government. They wanted to hear from Jamie about what he thinks that Government can do to tackle the challenges around food and diet and why he thinks his campaigns can make a difference. The session was broadcast live on Parliament Live TV and has made national press, including coverage in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Mail.
This was a great honor for Jamie because of the important role Select Committees play in influencing government policy. Jamie called for the Government to appoint a Minister of Food to bring together health and education to fight the obesity epidemic. Jamie said "The health crisis that we are in and what we choose to do in the next 10 years is so incredibly profound. There is a new poverty that I have never seen before. This isn't about fresh trainers or mobile phones or Sky dishes or plasma TV screens – they've got all that. It is a poverty of being able to nourish their family, in any class."
