Has Policymaking Overlooked the Need to Provide the Necessary, Food Skills Needed to Enable a Generation of Low Income Young People to Eat Well?

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance for thanking Dr Helen Crawley at City University London

Department of Public Health, Primary Care and Food Policy, friends & family for support they provided & their belief in me as well as guidance they provided without which I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (MaryJo Hoyne), would like to declare that all contents included in this thesis/dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this thesis/dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially which are associated with university.

Signature:

Date: 28th February 2011

ABSTRACT

There are public health concerns in the UK surrounding the diet of low income groups.Obesity particularly amongst young people poses a severe threat and has many consequences for the health of the nation. In this study we try to explore the concept of “Food Policymaking” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “Food Policymaking” and its relation with the “Low income group”. The research also analyses many aspects of “food policymaking” and tries to gauge its effect on “Low income group”. The research describes various factors which are responsible for “food policymaking” and tries to describe the overall effect of “food policymaking” on the” Low income group”. This study will talk about the various policies regarding food and health which affects the lower income group. This study will also talk about the changing trends of food choices. The gaps which exist in the food policy making regarding food, health and education will also be discussed. The conclusion will be based on the analysis which is presented later in this study.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

List of tablesvii

Abbreviationsviii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

1.1 Problem Statement1

1.2 Rationale1

1.3 Significance1

1.4 Research Questions1

1.5 Research aims and objectives2

1.6 Limitation of the Study3

1.7 Overview3

1.7.1 Food skills6

1.8 Disadvantage, and inequality in skills opportunities8

CHAPTER 2: POLICY BACKGROUND11

2.1. The New Labour administration's ideology12

2.1.1. Main summary of food and health policies in England during the Labour term12

2.1.1.1 The Acheson Report13

2.2. Threats to success16

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY18

3.1. Research Design Assumptions18

3.3. Principal Research Questions20

3.4. Research methodology and conceptual framework20

3.4.1. Research design and methods23

3.5. Grades of Literature24

3.5.1. Report Literature25

3.5.2. Web-based literature within UK parameters26

HAPTER 4: POLICY REVIEW27

4.1 White Paper Health of the Nation 199227

4.2 Our Healthier Nation28

4.3 The NHS Plan28

4.5 Working with the Industry: FSA and work on salt29

4.6 Choosing Health30

4.7 School Policy31

4.8 The Children's Plan 'Building Brighter Futures' - Skills32

4.9 The Leitch Report, 2006: Prosperity for all in the global economy - world class skills32

4.10 Teaching food skills and food education33

CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS35

5.1 Our Healthier Nation & NHS Plan35

5.2 Choosing Health36

5.3 School Policy36

5.4 The Children's Plan: 'Building Brighter Futures'37

5.5 Framework of competencies38

CHAPTER 6: ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS39

6.1 Economic: What has contributed to disadvantage?39

6.2 Do schools have a duty to provide food-skills education?40

6.3 How can education respond to the skills ...