CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver's radical shake- up of school dinners is now reaching South-ampton.

City education chiefs are planning to ditch junk foods like crisps, fizzy drinks and chips from the school dinner tables of thousands of youngsters across the city.

The new healthy eating drive is aimed at tackling soaring levels of childhood obesity in the city and encouraging healthy eating habits in city youngsters.

Out will go fizzy drinks, crisps and junk foods such as "reclaimed meats" which make up the bulk of children's diets in Southampton.

Instead, schools will be forced to prepare meals using fresh ingredients and offer fresh fruit and vegetables to children.

The huge shake-up follows the success of Jamie Oliver's hit TV programme Jamie's School Dinners which highlighted the state of school dinners nationwide.

Councillors were today due to debate new government guidelines which will overhaul the way school meals are provided in Southampton.

The shake-up will see school meals for city primary school children made healthier by September 2008 with secondary schools following in September 2009 at a cost of around £1.6m.

Overhaul An overhaul of school kitchens is also contained in the planned shake-up.

Under the proposals, no sweets, crisps or snacks will be sold in schools other than healthy nuts and seeds and schools will also be forced to supply a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Fish and bread will also be made available and school kitchens will be barred from serving more than two deep-fried items to youngsters in a week.

Fizzy drinks will be banned and youngsters will be supplied with milk, water or fruit smoothies if they feel thirsty as well as tea and coffee.

City chiefs are also planning to introduce an annual food festival which would aim to encourage healthy eating habits among thousands of youngsters.

City council Cabinet member for education Councillor Ann Milton told the Daily Echo that many of the problems which had been highlighted by Jamie Oliver's programme were already being addressed by the council.

She said: "Obviously, Jamie Oliver has woken up authorities and we are quite ahead of the game.

"It will however, have a knock-on affect on those schools which don't currently have kitchens and it is going to put additional pressure on them to find extra money."