PLANS to axe cash subsidies for school meals have sparked fears of a rise in diabetes among Peterborough children.
The alarm has been sounded by the head of a Peterborough-based national charity who fears a hike in the cost of school meals could lead to more youngsters turning to junk food as families refuse to pay the increased charge.
Peterborough City Counc
il is looking to axe the subsidies to save £210,000 but would mean 40 schools needing to find an extra £5,000 to keep meal prices at their current level.
Roger Hughes, chairman of Peterborough Diabetes Support Group and a governor at Highlees Primary School, in Westwood, thinks parents could feel the pinch and opt for cheaper junk food for their children.
He said: "Looking after our children is the most important thing as they are our future, but how many parents are going to be able to afford an increase with the recession on and budgets tight as they are?
"There has been a rise in the number of teenagers getting type 2 diabetes and it's mostly because of obesity. And I can see what will happen if prices go up: children stop buying nutritious food from the school and end up walking out to the chippy and other fast food shops."
Type 2 diabetes is increasingly found in children with obesity problems caused by a poor diet.
The council expects to save around £210,000 next April when it renews its school dinner contracts but without the subsidies.
Council cabinet member for education Cllr John Holdich said that if schools were concerned about the effect the new contracts could have, they could always look for other companies that provided school meals.
He said: "The contracts are coming to an end and I don't think there's any doubt that costs of providing school meals has gone up in the last three years, which means our prices will go up too.
"The choice will be entirely up to the schools, they can take on this arrangement or they can do their own thing and employ their own cooks.
"Some will pass on the costs to the parents, others will see it as a priority.
"But we will continue to do our level best to make sure that a balanced diet is provided in schools."
The final decision to end the school dinner subsidy will be made in February next year.
