Education secretary Ruth Kelly today announced a national audit of school dinners as part of a widespread transformation of both children's diets and their attitudes about food.

The audit, to begin next week, is a response to the recommendations of the school meal review panel, set up to investigate the quality of school dinners following TV chef Jamie Oliver's high-profile campaign. In a further development, exams watchdog the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is to review how cooking is taught in schools, in order to improve the culinary skills and knowledge of young people.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis welcomed the fact that the school meals service had finally "risen to the top of the political agenda". But he warned that there had to be a reverse in staff cuts in school kitchens and dining rooms, if the school meals revolution was to be successful.

The recommendations of the panel, in its report Turning the Tables, Transforming School Food, include aban on low-quality foods high in fat, salt and sugar, refromed or reconstituted foods made from 'meat slurry' and a further ban on chocolate, crisps and sugary fizzy drinks from vending machines.

There will now be a 13-week consultation on its proposals, but the government is indicating that it will comply. "Not since the creation of the welfare state has there been such a groundswell of public support for improvement of school meals" said Suzi leather, the chair of the school meals review panel.

"The standards we have recommended will establish a world-class school meals service" she added. "They will have very considerable health, educational and social benefits and for many children they will be a nutritional safety net".

Kelly said that the audit, of current menus and school facilities, would help government target resources to where school dinner provision was most dire. "The scale of the challenge is huge" she said, "But we must act now to reverse the decline".

Dave Prentis said that UNISON had long campaigned in defence of school meals and the union was pleased that so many of its aims were shared by the review panel.

"The workforce must be at the heart of transforming the service" he added. "We welcome the review panel's acknowledgment that resourcing working hours and training must be a priority.

"The workforce must be at the heart of transforming the service, he added. "We welcome the review panels acknowledgement that resourcing working hours and training must be a priority.