JAPAN: The government is to carry out an investigation into hormone-disrupting chemicals in plastic tableware used for school dinners. A panel of experts investigating the chemicals said that one-quarter of all public elementary and junior high schools nationwide use plastic tableware containing bisphenol A, a substance known to cause abnormal foetus growth in rat experiments. Since 1997, parents have successfully pressured 4,500 schools into removing plastic plates from their canteens. Meanwhile, fears over BSE-contaminated beef, which first surfaced in Japan three weeks ago, have forced Tokyo to ban beef from all public school menus. Full story www.tes.co.uk

Michael Fitzpatrick