Cookery teaching drive

We know that a healthy attitude towards food, developed early, is critical to the health, well-being and good educational attainment of young people.

That's why we've asked the School Food Trust to use their expertise and draw up early years nutritional guidance and why maintained schools must abide by the national minimum standards for nutrition.

We are currently reviewing the National Curriculum and will make further announcement on the review in due course.

To reverse the obesity epidemic we need our fellow humans to be able to source and prepare real food, not to microwave fake food.

Food education and cooking skills were traditionally passed down from one generation to the next. We seek the Prime Minister's help to restore them in our future generation.

It's common sense that all children should learn how to cook at school, so it should be part of the National Curriculum.

If the Government is serious about improving children's health, keeping cooking in schools is one of the best ways to do it.

The UK now has the highest rate of obesity in Europe, with one in three children overweight or obese by the age of nine.

If these lifestyles don't change, the UK will have an adult population suffering with diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, giving an already cash-strapped NHS a £10 billion a year medical bill.

We need to act now but we will not win this fight alone. Parents, schools, healthcare professionals and the Government must take a united approach in order to combat this obesity crisis.