Jamie Oliver attacks Michael Gove over school meals When there is a national obesity crisis unfolding around us, I honestly think he is playing with fire. Oliver, who has recently taken his fight to improve school meals to America, said the national standards should apply to all schools and called for head teachers of academies to be given guidance on the type of food they should be serving. He also accused academies of making money from vending machines packed with sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks. Under the national rules, which are applied to other state schools, vending machines can only sell healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts and bottles of water. Mr Gove has insisted that academies should not be covered by the national rules because their head teachers can be trusted to deliver the best for their pupils. The Department for Education said the Education Secretary asked the School Food Trust to carry out a survey of food standards in new academies last autumn, according to The Observer. A department spokesman said: "We trust schools to act in the best interests of their pupils. There's been a lasting culture change in attitudes since Jamie's School Dinners. Heads know that failing to invest in good, nutritious food is a false economy and parents won't tolerate reconstituted turkey being put back on the menu.