School meals are set to be given a radical overhaul as part of a £220 million training scheme aimed at school cooks, teachers and teaching assistants.

A number of FEAST (Food Excellence And Skills Training) centres will be set up across the country, including a unique partnership between Ashburton Cookery School and City College Plymouth to become the centre for Devon and Cornwall.

Other centres in the region include Yeovil College and its partner Somerset College, City of Bristol College and its partner Bristol Chefs Forum, and the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester.

The new School FEAST network will offer a wide range of training and support to all those involved in improving school meals, including school cooks, kitchen assistants, lunchtime supervisors, teachers, bursars and employers. Formal qualifications at NVQ level 2 and beyond will also be available.

Hands-on cookery lessons will place an emphasis on the benefits of healthy eating, and the target of reducing the environmental footprint by sourcing food from local producers.

Judy Hargadon, chief executive of FEAST, said: "School food has a deserved importance to the health and well being of hundreds and thousands of children and young people. It is only right that we equip school cooks and those involved in school food with the skills and training they require."

The move will come as welcome news to those who have concerns over the eating habits of the nation today. With obesity rates in the UK at an all-time high, it is important to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle from an early age.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver brought the government's attention to the dire state of school dinners with his acclaimed TV series 'Jamie's School Dinners' back in 2005, and finally the government seem to be tackling the issue.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said: "It's great to see another leap forward in our quest to get all children and young people eating healthily. This is just one part of a range of activity that is happening to make sure the school food revolution succeeds. We should recognise the great work that schools cooks do and the vital role they play in transforming school meals for the better."

The FEAST centres will begin to open up in February, with the training centre at Ashburton expected to be ready at the beginning of April.