Government has no plans to introduce a feeding programme for children who go without food before school and believes breakfast-skipping may not be connected to poverty.

Jennifer Attride-Stirling, the Government’s health promotion co-ordinator, told The Royal Gazette that a survey of children conducted by the Ministry of Health at the start of 2006 revealed that 92 percent of five to ten-year-olds ate breakfast seven days a week.

She said those least likely to have breakfast daily were children from households with annual incomes of $100,000 or more.

“Breakfast-skipping is not related to income necessarily,” she said. “Statistically, the problem doesn’t seem to be financial but simply a lack of awareness of the importance of good nutrition.”

She added that race, family type and parental education level also appeared to be have no bearing on whether children received breakfast at home.

Dr. Attride-Stirling spoke to this newspaper a day after a group of volunteers from the Seventh-day Adventist Church who prepare free breakfasts and lunches for 30 children a day called on Government to introduce an Island-wide feeding programme.

The doctor described those going without breakfast as “a small proportion of students but a problem nonetheless”.

“There are currently no plans to provide state-funded programmes in schools,” she said. “The current data doesn’t indicate that an Island-wide programme is needed.

“Our focus is on educating parents. We educate parents throughout the year on the importance of good nutrition via the nutrition policy, the Healthy Schools programme and nutrition services.”

The Seventh-day Adventist volunteers offered to present a proposal to Government on a feeding programme and Dr. Attride-Stirling said any ideas would be welcomed.

“The Department of Health is more than happy to speak to any organisation with proposals and ideas to improve the health of the population,” she said.

She added that there was no such thing as free school lunches in Bermuda and that she was not aware of the existence on the Island of any school breakfast clubs, as exist, for example, in some socially disadvantaged parts of the UK.

A former primary school principal - who asked to remain anonymous - told this newspaper yesterday she believed the state should step in to help hungry children.

“I do think that something should be done about that; the need is there,” she said. The woman added that the First Church of God, on North Shore Road, Pembroke, had been feeding children lunches in the central parishes for more than ten years.

Another reader - who gave their name as J O’Neill - emailed to say: “Your question asked: do we think Government should provide breakfasts and lunches for children in need? I say a very big NO.

“The same people who are volunteering and raising monies in their church should be the very ones feeding the hungry. It’s also biblical - feed the hungry and clothe the naked and provide shelter for the homeless.

“The whole feeding programme does not have to fall on five volunteers in one church. If all churches were asked if they would like to help, they would do so and I am sure many churches would contribute funding and volunteers to help with the feeding of children.”