Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has come under fire after he criticised the Labour government's recent pledge to provide free school meals to Universal Credit recipients, arguing the policy falls short of what's needed for children's health.
The River Cottage presenter and Eton-educated chef believes the government should implement universal free school meals for all primary pupils, despite acknowledging the substantial financial commitment required.
"It's great they've done this, but what would be completely transformative is to give free school meals of really good quality to all primary school kids," Fearnley-Whittingstall stated during an interview at his Dorset establishment.
The 60-year-old chef and environmental campaigner insists the current approach represents insufficient progress in addressing childhood nutrition.
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Fearnley-Whittingstall advocates for a comprehensive overhaul of school meal provision, emphasising the use of freshly prepared dishes made from locally sourced produce.
The television personality and food writer argues that whilst initial expenditure would be considerable, the investment would yield substantial returns through improved public health outcomes within a decade.
"There'll be a big cost but in 10 years time there'd be a much bigger saving in terms of the country's health if we put proper good real food in front of kids every school day," he explained in an article for the Telegraph titled "Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Starmer isn’t Left-wing enough".
His vision extends beyond basic nutrition to establishing a foundation for lifelong healthy eating habits amongst Britain's youngest citizens.
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Fearnley-Whittingstall expressed frustration with politicians' reluctance to embrace ambitious long-term strategies for public health improvement.
"But it is hard for politicians to take a long term view. Instead you get governments nibbling at the edges, and with the last lot, not even doing that, to be honest," the chef remarked.
He acknowledged the political complexities surrounding state intervention in dietary choices, referencing past resistance to nutritional reforms in schools.
The environmental campaigner, who joined the Green Party in 2021, maintains that governmental responsibility extends to safeguarding population health through a comprehensive food policy.
Fearnley-Whittingstall's call on Sir Keir Starmer to go further with their school meals policy and adopt a more left-leaning approach overall hasn't exactly sat well with members of the public.
Telegraph readers and X users soon flooded the social media site with their complaints regarding the article, with several branding him "privileged" and "insufferable".
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"Such a t***," one reader brutally began. "For those very rich, labour doesn’t really hurt them. They hurt the middle class, those who aspire to improve their lives. The ones Thatcher created opportunities for which was her biggest achievement."
"HFW - Always was a complete leftie privileged a***hole," a second echoed before a third also hit out: "What an insufferable a***hole."
Another complaint read: "Marxism is the ultimate expression of elitism."
And a fifth fumed: " Does the UK’s Daily Telegraph imagine that publishing bollocks by left wing privileged p****s like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will encourage me to buy a subscription. They will be disappointed." (sic)
It's not the first time in recent weeks Fearnley-Whittingstall has found himself under fire for lending his opinions on political issues.
Last month, Fearnley-Whittingstall accompanied British-Iranian journalist Christiane Amanpour and Lord Browne, the former boss of BP who has spent periods in Iran, on the panel of the BBC's Sunday political programme with Laura Kuenssberg.
The chef was asked by Kuenssberg to share his verdict on the ongoing conflict in Gaza, to which he used the opportunity to once again criticise the Labour government.
"It's concerning to me that we're sending jets out to the Middle East to support this when all the talk should be of de-escalation," he said.
Fearnley-Whittingstall went on: "If Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour government really wanted to show they were serious about de-escalating, they should stop selling arms to Israel."
BBC viewers once again took to social media to mock the chef for providing his verdict on government policy. "What on earth does Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall know about the Middle East? Has he ever been to Israel? It's like asking @RachelReevesMP to talk honestly about the UK economy. Completely pointless. #bbclaurak," one viewer ridiculed at the time. (sic)