The celebrity chef, who has campaigned for healthier school meals over the past decade, warned the progress made in recent years risks being undone by new academies which are allowed to ignore nutrient-based Government standards.
In an interview with The Observer Food Monthly, Oliver said: “This mantra that we are not going to tell (academy) schools what to do just isn’t good enough in the midst of the biggest obesity epidemic ever.
“The public health of five million children should not be left to luck or chance.”
The chef said he was “totally mystified” as to why academies are being allowed to determine what food should be on offer, while state schools follow the national standards introduced in 2008.