Marks & Spencer is hoping to cash in on the popularity of retro products as well as consumers' appetite for low-price comfort food with the launch of a jam sandwich.

The basic sandwich, comprising just strawberry jam, butter and white bread, will go on sale in M&S stores from next week, priced at 75p.

"We are delighted to be launching this national favourite," said M&S sandwich specialist Katy Patino. "It really is the ultimate comfort food at an unbeatable price - plus, it's the only place on the high street where you can get a jam sandwich. For those who haven't eaten one for years, one bite takes you straight back to your childhood."

Are Marks and Spencer losing the plot in their bid to win back customers? They may well be the only place on the high street to stock jam sandwiches but isn't that because they're so easy and cheap to make at home?

It seems Jamie Oliver knows best, as new research suggests the celebrity chef's healthy school dinners have helped to improve exam results and classroom attendance.

An independent study shows the performance of 11-year-old pupils eating Oliver's meals improved by up to 8% in science and as much as 6% in English, while absenteeism due to ill-health fell by 15%.

The findings, from a report by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at Essex University, vindicate the chef's decision to banish fat-laden Turkey Twizzlers and replace them with iron-rich foods such as red meat and green vegetables.

Oliver's new menus, adopted by 81 out of 88 primary and secondary schools in Greenwich, included more pasta and fresh fruit, plus dishes such as Mexican bean wraps, chickpea soup and vegetable chow mein. Hayley Franklin, 11, from John Roan School in Blackheath, southeast London, said: "The new dinners give me much more energy, for longer, so I can concentrate on work through the whole day."

In a country where education standards appear to have fallen, especially in the sciences, this has to be good news for teachers and parents alike.

The current Change4Life campaign is urging us to make changes to our diet and levels of activity. Whilst we can't dictate what people eat in their own homes, food industry professionals can go a long way towards encouraging people to eat healthily while at work.

If the new menus work for the Greenwich school kids, will they work for adults? If staff canteens adopt a similar approach can we expect to see a more productive workforce?

What do you think? Would a tasty pasta dish appeal to your midday palate or are you a fast food junkie who couldn't survive the day without your pizza or burger fix?

Internet retailer Amazon is to take on the major supermarkets with the launch of an online food store.

Industry experts say the ambitious plans are a huge threat to Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

Amazon is expected to emulate its US grocery offer, comprising more than 45,000 non-perishable food, drink and household items, in this country. Although fresh items would not be on offer at the launch, Amazon is currently testing the viability of selling perishable foods in the Northwest U.S. A launch date has yet to be announced but industry sources said it is likely to be this year.

Grocery shopping from Amazon has proved popular with American customers who enjoy discounts for buying in bulk, a function to create regular shopping lists and free delivery.

Amazon.co.uk is the UK's biggest online retailer, best known for selling cut-price books, DVDs and electrical items. But will it be easy for them to penetrate the Internet grocery market? Discounts for bulk buying should be welcomed by UK consumers but will the lack of fresh produce deter many customers? Do we want to login to two separate online stores when we can get everything we need from the likes of Tesco or Sainsbury's?