Canteens, Healthy Eating and Other Food Services

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure school food services provide food and drinks which contribute to a supportive, healthy school environment.

Summary

• A school culture in which students actively choose nutritious foods and a healthy lifestyle supports learning and health outcomes for children and young people.
• Victorian government schools including primary, secondary, special and language schools, should support a healthy eating culture by developing a healthy school food services and promoting healthy eating principles. Schools should ensure healthy food choices are the major option made available to the school community by their school, and should never supply high sugar content drinks or confectionery.

Details

Background

School food services can have a major impact on the foods and drinks that students are exposed to and consume. Enjoyment of healthy foods and drinks has a wide range of positive benefits for student health and learning outcomes such as:

• providing important nutrients that students need to be alert and engaged in classroom
• activities and for healthy physical development and performance
• supporting the development of healthy eating habits and preferences
• paving the way for good health and prevention of chronic illness.

It is important that parents, teachers and students work together to support a whole-school-approach to healthy eating and build a school culture which supports students to choose nutritious foods and drinks, and a healthy lifestyle.

A healthy school food service:

• makes it easy for students to choose healthy snacks and meals
• offers a variety of nutritious foods
• promotes foods that are consistent with Australian Dietary Guidelines
• can be an avenue for consistent and continual health education
• complements the diverse elements of the school curriculum
• involves students, parents and the wider school community
• is an integral part of the entire healthy school environment.

It is important that parents, teachers and students work together to build a school culture which supports students to choose nutritious foods and drinks, and a healthy lifestyle.

To support a whole-school-approach to healthy eating schools should:

• work with parents, teachers and students to promote healthy eating practices
• apply a healthy eating approach to all food and drink services provided to the school community by the school
• ensure healthy food choices are made available to the school community by their school
• ensure everyday food and drinks are always available as the main choices and select carefully food and drinks are selected carefully and limit the availability of occasionally food and drinks (refer to the Guidance tab for details on these food categories)
• never supply:
  • high sugar content drinks such as energy drinks and flavoured mineral waters with high sugar content
  • confectionery such as chocolate, lollies, yoghurt compound and coatings, fudge and chewing gum (refer to the Resources tab for the School Confectionery Guidelines)
• ensure curriculum programs promote a healthy eating approach.

The policy applies to

• all foods and drinks provided in the following areas within the school environment:
  • school canteens and contracted school food services
  • external businesses and retail food outlets supplying schools (for example, milk bars, cafes and bakeries)
  • vending machines
  • school curriculum activities
  • rewards and incentives
  • school sporting days, social events and productions
  • school-based breakfast programs
  • outside school hours care programs on school grounds.

This policy does not apply to:

• foods and drinks used for the management of individual student's health conditions
• student lunches and snacks brought from home
• student birthday celebrations
• non-school-related events and activities managed by external organisations on school grounds, for example community sport
• school camps.

Special dietary requirements

Some students may require special diets for medical reasons. The school food service should try to meet these needs as far as possible so that all children can enjoy eating a healthy lunch from the canteen. Any special needs for children with disabilities such as modified texture diets or wheelchair access to the canteen should also be considered.

The school principal, child’s teacher or parents should provide advice of any special dietary needs to canteen staff.

Anaphylactic (severe) food allergy

Contact with certain foods (such as peanuts, cow’s milk, egg, wheat, soy bean, tree nuts, fish and shellfish can be fatal for people with allergies to these foods. The department has guidelines for schools to support students with anaphylaxis, refer to: Anaphylaxis.

Canteen staff need to be aware of students with such allergies and be familiar with the school’s management strategies for these students.

Role of school council

Many schools have contractual arrangements in relation to their canteens and while these arrangements need to be honoured, councils should discuss with licensees ways in which canteens can be compliant with department policy. Schools that have a specific relationship with a retail shop, for example a local milk bar, also need to consider how the policy can be applied.

Refer to Finance Manual Section 12 Trading Operations for further detail on the role of school council in engaging a third party to operate school canteens.

Definitions

Confectionery
Confectionery can be defined as a small snack, chocolate or lolly – often sized for individual consumption – of minimal nutritional value and with sugar as a main ingredient. Common names for confectionery include lollies, candy or sweets. Confectionery comes in a variety of shapes, textures from jelly-like, soft and chewy to hard and brittle.

Related policies

• Finance Manual – Section 12 Trading Operations
• Food Handling in Canteens
• Procurement – Schools

Related legislation

• Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
• Food Act 1984 (Vic)

Canteens, Healthy Eating and Other Food Services Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

• Introduction
• Role of the canteen and/or other food service
• Guiding principles for food selection
• Everyday, Select Carefully and Occasionally food categories

Introduction

Schools are encouraged to take a health promoting schools’ approach to support healthy eating.

'A health-promoting school is a place where all members of the school community work together to provide students with integrated and positive experiences and structures that promote and protect their health' – World Health Organization, 1996.

It is important that parents, teachers and students work together to support a whole-school approach to building a school culture in which students actively choose nutritious foods and a healthy lifestyle.

Examples of healthy eating and food-related actions that schools may take are:

• developing curriculum that supports healthy food choices
• encouraging students to become involved in food-related activities, for example planning meals
• growing foods, shopping for food products, cooking and promoting foods
• offering a variety of nutritious foods at the school food service and regularly changing the menu
• being creative with presentation and preparation of healthy foods
• maintaining consistent messages about healthy foods in all parts of the school operation
• making links with local fruit and vegetable retailers – this could include a school visit by the retailers, or an excursion to a local market
• supporting an enthusiastic group of people to serve the food to students.

Role of the canteen and/or other food service

School canteens and other school food services are important educational resources. They have an important role in the provision of food to students and the school community as well as being an integral part of the school environment.

The school canteen should reflect the educational goals of the school and support and complement student learning. When consumed daily, the food provided through the school canteen may comprise a third of a student’s total daily intake and have a significant influence on their health and nutrition.

Guiding principles for food selection

The following principles should inform the selection of foods sold in school food services:

• a range of foods are included from each of the 5 food groups outlined in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
• fresh food is provided rather than processed
• a range of portion sizes are offered that cater for varying energy use and developmental requirements
• foods offered reflect the multicultural diversity of the school community.

A healthy food service:

• makes it easy for students to choose healthy snacks and meals
• offers a variety of nutritious foods
• promotes foods that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia
• can be an avenue for consistent and continual health education
• complements the diverse elements of the school curriculum
• involves students, parents and the wider school community
• is an integral part of the entire healthy school environment.

Students are encouraged to:

• enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods
• eat plenty of vegetables, legumes, fruits, breads, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles
• include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
• include milk, yoghurt, cheese
• choose water as a drink
• limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
• choose foods low in salt
• consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars.

Everyday, Select Carefully and Occasionally food categories

To assist schools and school food services to select and supply healthy eating options, foods and drinks have been divided into three categories.

Everyday category (Green)

Foods and drinks in the Everyday category are consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and are most suitable for school food services.

Foods and drinks in the Everyday category are based on the basic food groups and include:

• breads and cereals, rice, pasta, noodles
• vegetables
• fruits
• dairy foods – reduced or low-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese
• lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts* and legumes (dried beans and lentils)
• water.

Checklist

• Include most often as the main choices on the canteen menu
• Make available every day the canteen is open
• Strongly encourage and promote these foods and drinks
• Include as the main choices at school event and activities involving foods and drinks

Select Carefully category (Amber)

Foods and drinks in the Select Carefully category contain some valuable nutrients but may also include unhealthy ingredients. They are mainly processed foods that have fat, sugar or salt added.

Schools are encouraged to limit the availability of these foods. They should not be promoted at the expense of foods and drinks from the Everyday category.

Foods and drinks in the Select Carefully category include:

• full-fat dairy foods, low-fat ice-cream
• 100% fruit juices and 100% fruit-juice based ices
• artificially sweetened drinks
• reduced-fat processed meats
• commercially prepared hot foods
• reduced-fat, high-fibre snack foods
• margarines, oils, spreads, sauces and gravies.

Checklist

• Do not let these foods and drinks dominate the menu
• Avoid large serve sizes
• Reduce the number of these foods on the canteen menu
• Offer these foods only on certain days of the week or limit selling time
• Select healthier choices within the category
• Select choices of these foods that contain fruits and/or vegetables or serve with fruits and/or vegetables
• Do not promote vigorously at the expense of foods and drinks from the Everyday category

Occasionally category (Red)

Foods and drinks in the Occasionally category are not consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and are not recommended for school food services.

Schools should limit the availability of these foods and drinks to no more than two occasions per term.

Foods and drinks in this category include:

• deep-fried foods
• pastry-based or crumbed hot foods
• savoury snack foods – crisps, chips, biscuits
• ice-creams and ice confections – chocolate-coated and premium ice-creams, icy-poles and ice crushes
• cakes, muffins, sweet pastries, slices, biscuits and bars
• cream, butter and copha.

The following should never be supplied due to their high sugar content:

• high sugar content soft drinks, including energy drinks and flavoured mineral waters with high sugar content
• confectionery, in accordance with the School Confectionery Guidelines (PDF).

Checklist

• These foods and drinks should not be on the regular canteen menu
• Schools should limit the availability of these foods and drinks to no more than 2 occasions per term
• These foods and drinks should not regularly be available in other areas of the school such as in vending machines

Resources

Menu planning tools

FoodChecker– Schools can use this tool to help classify individual recipes and food/drink products, plan healthy canteen menus, and find Everyday (green) and Select Carefully (amber) products that can be supplied in schools.

School Confectionery Guidelines

Confectionery – definition and examples (DOCX) provides a definition and examples of confectionery for schools to use when selecting products to supply in canteens.

Practical implementation support

Healthy Eating Advisory Service

The Healthy Eating Advisory Service supports schools to provide and promote nutritious foods and drinks in line with department policy.

The Healthy Eating Advisory Service provides a range of services and resources including:

• a free telephone and email Infoline
• FoodChecker – online menu assessment tool
• online training – a free 1-hour self-paced online training module suitable for anyone involved in food provision in schools, including canteen staff, management, teachers and suppliers
• fact sheets, templates and curriculum resources
• recipes and healthy food and drink ideas, including sample primary and secondary school canteen menus
• healthy school celebration ideas
• healthy fundraising ideas
• non-food fundraising ideas
• case studies.

The Healthy Eating Advisory Service can help schools to:

• apply the Healthy Eating, Canteens and Other Food Services policy
• understand the roles school leadership, staff, students, families and the community can play in supporting healthy eating in their school
• develop a healthy eating policy or embed nutrition into an existing one
• embed healthy eating throughout the whole school environment
• promote healthy eating in the curriculum, and to families
• work with canteen/food service providers and food suppliers
• plan budget-friendly recipes and menus.

Further information is available on the Healthy Eating Advisory Service website or by calling the free infoline on 1300 22 52 88. The Healthy Eating Advisory Service is run by Nutrition Australia Vic Division, with support from the Victorian Government.

Vic Kids Eat Well

Vic Kids Eat Well is designed to support schools to implement the Healthy Eating, Canteens and Other Food Services policy and focuses on:

• refreshing the fridge – promoting water and reducing sugary drinks
• switching up the snacks – reducing sweets and switching to delicious, healthy snacks
• changing up the menu – boosting healthy options and giving fruit and veg the chance to shine
• putting the fun into fundraising and marketing – adding health appeal to meal deals and boost healthy fundraising.

Schools receive guidance and support from a dedicated health professional and can also access a range of resources and promotional materials.

Healthy Schools Achievement Program

Schools that participate in Vic Kids Eat Well are encouraged to continue their healthy eating journey through the Healthy Schools Achievement Program to enhance their achievements by supporting a whole-of-school approach.

The Healthy Schools Achievement Program is a health and wellbeing framework that helps schools create healthier environments for working, learning and playing. It provides quality health promotion benchmarks and government recognition for key areas of health – including healthy eating – and is aligned to the World Health Organisation's model for Health Promoting Schools and Healthy Workplaces.

Student Leaders for Multicultural Inclusion Resource

The department’s Multicultural Inclusion Resource (PDF) provides advice to schools to help them ensure that amenities such as canteens are culturally inclusive. Please refer to the reflection tool on page 8.

Curriculum support

Additional information and resources on healthy eating and physical activity are available from:

• Arc – resources for learning and teaching aligned to the Victorian Curriculum
• Better Health Channel

The Good Practice Guide: Supporting healthy eating and drinking at school

The Good Practice Guide: Supporting healthy eating and drinking at school provides advice for supporting healthy eating and drinking in the school environment. It was originally created and published by the Council of Australian Governments Health Council in 2019.