What’s on your hospital lunch tray today?

Spring-vegetable casserole or beef stroganoff, sir? The menus often sound appetising, but what does hospital food really taste like? With budgets being slashed and kitchens closed, many hospitals nowadays have to buy in ready-prepared food from outside suppliers and heat … Continue reading →

Hospital food – it’s enough to make you sick

Thick, salty soup with the texture of wallpaper paste; a pie crust, hiding a serving of mechanically recovered 'meat' and dry mash. Is this the best patients can hope for? Jay Rayner investigates.

What’s for tea?

We know that processed foods and fizzy drinks are bad for our children, but what is it about Turkey Twizzlers, sugar and additives that have been blamed for everything from daydreaming in class to bullying and autism? Andrew Purvis investigates the link between what our kids eat and their behaviour - and discovers that 50p school dinners may not be nearly enough.

Doctor’s orders

There are plenty of essential foods and minerals that help alleviate the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder says Dr John Briffa.

Is this any way to treat a child?

Why our kids are hooked on crisps: Not so long ago, crisps were thought healthy enough to be tucked into a child's lunch box along with an apple and a sandwich. Now we're eating 12 billion packets a year, and a bag of smoky bacon has become the Devil's own snack. Louise France visits Walkers - the Willy Wonka of crisp factories - and discovers what goes into one of our most addictive foods.

Fat girl slim

London's East End has the highest rate of obesity in Britain - one in 10 children is obese. Now the community is fighting back with 'fat clubs' for kids, and chefs to improve the nutritional value of a 40p school dinner. Jo Revill investigates.

Bullied at 12 for being overweight

Ryan Owen hit the headlines last month when he refused to attend school because he was bullied about his size. Dee O'Connell talks to his mother

Are we turning our children into ‘fat’ junkies?

One in 10 British children under five is obese. Health experts blame sedentary lifestyles - and ever bigger fast food portions - but new research suggests that a diet high in fat and sugar may trigger the same addictive cravings as tobacco or drugs. Ellen Ruppel Shell reports from America