Oliver's healthy food blamed for job losses

Workers at a food manufacturing plantnear Rotherham, South Yorkshire, have found themselves out of a job after the factory's owners, Grampian Country Food Group, decided to close it down. The factory produced burgers and chicken nuggets, and the managing director, Kirsty Taylor, has blamed Mr Oliver for its demise.

In Jamie's School Dinners, which appeared on Channel 4 earlier this year, the celebrity chef attempted to transform the poor eating habits of children in Greenwich, south London. Instead of chicken nuggets, burgers and the infamous Turkey Twizzlers, Mr Oliver provided freshly cooked healthy food.

The campaign was a huge success. After Mr Oliver presented the Prime Minister with a petition of nearly 300,000 signatures the Government announced a £280m investment in school meals, kitchens and staff.

Ms Taylor said the popularity of Mr Oliver's approach had lead to a drop in sales of her company's chicken nuggets and burgers.

"The negative publicity and lack of sales has led to our Rotherham facility losing an unsustainable amount of money each week," she said.

A spokesman for Mr Oliver said: "He gets blamed for a lot of things but his campaign is about improving the diet of all our children. Jamie is just trying to encourage people to eat more healthily."