Story Archive

Hunger Pangs

Martha Payne, 9, thought her school lunches were not healthy enough, and not big enough. She declared the servings “a wee bit small and sometimes they’re not very nice either.” Like what? “I’m a growing kid and I need to concentrate all afternoon,” she wrote in her new blog, “and I cant do it on 1 croquette. Do any of you think you could?” She included a photo of the lunch she was given at her unidentified school in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Within days, the blog “Never Seconds” went viral, attracting celebrity chefs, the BBC, and more than a million visitors. A school official went on the BBC to defend the school. “The lady on the radio said I had a choice everyday of mini tomatoes and watercress,” Martha replied on her blog, “but I have never seen them.” Shamed school officials announced they will allow students an unlimited amount of fruit, vegetables, and bread. Martha was ecstatic: “For the first time ever I have seen at lunch cherry tomatoes, radishes, carrot and cucumber shreddings,” she told blog visitors. (RC/Time) ...There’s the power of the media. And with the Internet, even a 9-year-old can have a media presence.