Unintended consequences seem to be a speciality of the present government, and one of the finest examples yet seen is the report that stringent nutritional standards may put paid to school meals in secondary schools. Many schools may not be able to meet the standards at all, while others will be forced to scrap a choice of dishes and offer a single set menu, which no doubt will be Jamie Oliver-style muck that will have all the appeal to pupils of a plate of cold sick. Inevitably they will end up voting with their feet and taking packed lunches or eating elsewhere. Surely it is far better getting kids eating a reasonably filling and nutritious meal than worrying about the finer points of zinc and iron content, and I can’t really see that pie and chips once a week is going to harm growing children.