SCHOOLS Under Secretary Diana Johnson joined children in schools in London’s East End who were learning how to cook healthy meals. It was part of a �20m national programme local authorities up and down the country hope will slim down child obesity figures

By Johnny McDevitt

SCHOOLS Under Secretary Diana Johnson joined children from in London's East End who were learning how to cook healthy meals and organise cooking events.

It was part of a �20 million national programme local authorities up and down the country hope will slim down child obesity figures.

The Under Secretary popped into Bishop Challenor Secondary in Shadwell to join them for cookery lessons to learn how to avoid junk food.

"School dinners have come on leaps and bounds in recent years," she said. "The kitchens are no longer churning out turkey twizzlers.

"Now it's exciting meals that meet rigorous nutritional standards. Children are now becoming the experts on what's good to eat."

The recent flurry of projects aimed at reducing numbers of fat kids in the East End comes after Government statistics reveal that more of Tower Hamlets' 10 and 11-year-olds are obese than ever before, with 39 per cent in Year 6 battling with weight problems.