A THOUSAND pupils will be eating vegetarian school lunches today at Swanlea School in Whitechapel to mark World Food Day.The lunch is part of a morning organised by the school with Oxfam to encourage them to think about the struggles faced by people ac

A THOUSAND pupils will be eating vegetarian school lunches today at Swanlea School in Whitechapel to mark World Food Day.

The lunch is part of a morning organised by the school with Oxfam to encourage them to think about the struggles faced by people across the world to feed their families.

Head teacher Linda Austin said: "We wanted to heighten pupils' awareness of the world food problem and take positive action, rather than just discuss the issue on assembly. We wanted pupils to understand that food is a fundamental necessity and therefore a shared responsibility of us as a human community."

John McLaverty, youth and schools campaigner for Oxfam in London, will be talking at the school assembly, to show how millions of people are being forced into food poverty because of the rapid rise in grain costs. John said: "The poorest people across the world depend on grain as their staple diet.

With the soaring demand for it to feed livestock for rich countries, the price means that grain is becoming something that is beyond the reach of millions of people. By going meat-free for just one lunchtime, the pupils are making a wonderful gesture for World Food Day.