Frequently Asked Questions
What are the strategies to enforce the Strategy in all educational sectors?What are the penalties if schools do not comply with the guidelines?
What research has been done for children and what they want?
What is going to be done to educate parents about these issues?
How do you propose limiting occasional foods in lunch boxes from home?
Do fundraising activities out of school hours eg. fetes, chocolate drives, excursions, sausage sizzles, fall into the red category?
What about food provided outside of school hours such as before and after school care?
What about profit and its use as ancillary funding?
The strategy is to tackle overweight and obesity. Why do some criteria relate to heart disease and stroke e.g. sodium and saturated fat?
Do products have to be colour coded for easy identification?
What category is bread assessed under?
Does the deep frying process/categorisation relate solely to hot food items?
By spreading butter on a sandwich - will this constitute an 'Amber' or 'Occasional' food?
Why isn't there a sugar level in the nutrient criteria? Is there an added sugar limit if a product still meets the energy criteria?
What constitutes a serve size per age group and how will this be promoted to canteens and also to food manufacturers?
Do manufacturers have sufficient time to modify products?
What support will be forthcoming in regards to media/advertising and education of the school community?
Will only Government schools be given the support materials?
What are the Intellectual Property issues associated with the use and reproduction of the Fresh Tastes resources and logo?
Why do we need two separate nutrient criteria (NSW SCA & NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy)?
Further Information
During the development of the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy, schools, parents, principals, students, canteen managers, and the food industry have asked a number of questions regularly. The following aims to answer the most frequently asked questions.
What are the strategies to enforce the Strategy in all educational sectors?
What are the penalties if schools do not comply with the guidelines?
An issue frequently raised in regards to the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy is compliance enforcement, and the consequences for any schools that do not implement the Strategy.
This Strategy heralds a move beyond school canteen guidelines to a government-endorsed approach to the types and frequency with which certain foods and drinks can be sold in school canteens in NSW. As such, there is an expectation that all Government schools will implement the requirements of the Strategy by the start of 2005 with the help of the support materials provided. Many schools have already begun the implementation of a healthy canteen. Both the Catholic Education Commission and Association of Independent Schools support the Strategy. As such, Catholic and Independent schools will also be encouraged to implement the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy.
A punitive approach to the implementation and monitoring of this Strategy is not considered appropriate. It is recognised that this Strategy will require substantial change, and as such, a holistic approach that engages the school community, provides support, and enables change is considered the most appropriate and effective approach. There will be some reporting mechanisms required of Government school principals to inform the NSW Department of Education and Training of changes made to the school canteen. These requirements will be communicated to principals later in the year.
A comprehensive evaluation framework is being developed that will monitor progress and identify any barriers schools may face in implementing the strategy. This information will aid the development of additional resources and strategies to support schools to overcome theses barriers and successfully implement the strategy.
What research has been done for children and what they want?
A member of the Fresh Tastes project team attended the Student Representative Council's (SRC) annual conference in August 2003 and co-facilitated a number of workshops exploring student views on what they wanted from their school canteens.
The vast majority of students expressed a desire to have fresh, tasty and healthy food choices readily available and were very supportive of the NSW Healthy School Canteen strategy. Many were keen to be involved in some way. Fresh Tastes @ school encourages the involvement of students in the canteen change process. This could include assisting with menu planning, promotions, student surveys etc. Working through the school SRC is the preferred approach.
In addition to this information, the NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity is currently undertaking a Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey. This will provide further information about school canteens, and student's dietary behaviours.
Furthermore, case studies collected as part of this Strategy have repeatedly shown that when children and adolescents are provided with tasty, fresh and healthy choices, they willingly buy and enjoy these foods. Healthy canteen menus can be both popular and profitable.
What is going to be done to educate parents about these issues?
There is considerable opportunity to increase community understanding about overweight and obesity, and the issues of nutrition and physical activity. Increasing community awareness and understanding will help provide the context for the roll out of strategies that aim to increase healthy eating and physical activity.As such, a range of strategies will be undertaken to educate parents about the importance of a healthy eating for children and young people. Within the strategy Prevention of Obesity in Children and Young People: NSW Government Action Plan 2003-2007, a community education campaign will be undertaken to raise awareness and communicate key messages to the community.
Specific communication strategies for the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy are also being implemented. Within the first phase of support materials, a Communication Kit is provided as part of the Canteen Menu Planning Guide. This kit provides information not only about healthy canteens, but also related information about overweight and obesity, healthy eating and physical activity. It is intended that schools can use the Communication Kit to help inform their school community, including teachers, parents, and students where appropriate.
How do you propose limiting occasional foods in lunch boxes from home?
The NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy relates to the types of food sold in school canteens, not food that children bring from home. However, it is recognised that assisting parents to provide healthy and nutritious school lunches is important in improving children and young people's dietary behaviours more broadly.
As such, the community education activities described above will seek to inform parents about healthy eating for children. The resource, Easy Lunch and Snack Ideas, is also available from NSW Health for all parents. This is a practical guide to assist parents in the preparation of school lunches.
Do fundraising activities out of school hours eg. fetes, chocolate drives, excursions, sausage sizzles, fall into the red category?
Consistency across all areas of food provision that involve the school canteen is a key component of the strategy. This includes over the counter sales, contractors, special events (fundraising), classroom rewards and the sale of food in vending machines.
While the application of the Occasional Food Criteria outlined in the Strategy is not mandatory for activities not associated with the school canteen, schools are strongly encouraged to present a consistent message and adhere to the Strategy's framework at all times.
What about food provided outside of school hours such as before and after school care?
A food and nutrition manual for Out of School Hours Services entitled Nutrition Ready to Go is available from South East Health. This manual provides plenty of healthy, tasty food ideas that can be served for before and after school care.
What about profit and its use as ancillary funding?
A survey of 34 Gold Award schools (schools selling 90% or more of food that meets the NSW School Canteen Association's healthy criteria) found that 16 reported an increase in profit, 16 remained the same and 2 did not respond. None reported a fall in profit as a result of healthy changes that they made.
A number of case studies have been collected recently featuring a range of schools at different stages of change along the healthy food continuum. None have experienced a loss of profit as they have moved towards a healthier canteen.
The key steps to success reported by those who have made the shift to a healthy canteen include:
- selecting menu items carefully - taste test before hand to ensure they taste good
- promote and market the healthier choices well
- price healthier choices to sell
- survey students to determine their response to new products / menu items and adjust accordingly
The strategy is to tackle overweight and obesity. Why do some criteria relate to heart disease and stroke e.g. sodium and saturated fat?
Whilst the main rationale for the Strategy is the prevention of overweight and obesity, the Strategy is also guided by the Australian Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents (ADGCA).
Both these nutrients (sodium and saturated fat) are listed in the ADGCA as components in the diet that should be limited. With regular consumption, high amounts of these in the diet raise the level of blood fats (cholesterol) and increase blood pressure. Both of these are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. It is important to promote good eating habits that reduce consumption of these nutrients early in life, in order to reduce the risk of chronic diseases in the future.
Do products have to be colour coded for easy identification?
No, products will not be required to be colour coded in the canteen, however manufacturers may choose to use the colour-coding on packaging as a way of identifying healthier choices.
The NSW School canteen Association are planning to colour-code their Buyers Guide in the future.
What category is bread assessed under?
Breads are a core food group as defined by the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. As such, the Canteen Menu Planning Guide categorises breads in the GREEN segment - foods that should fill the school canteen menu. Wholegrain breads and those containing fibre are better choices within this food grouping.
Does the deep frying process/categorisation relate solely to hot food items?
No, all deep fried foods are categorised as 'Occasional' food under the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy, regardless of being hot or cold. The process of deep frying increases the fat and kilojoule content of a food beyond an acceptable level.
By spreading butter on a sandwich - will this constitute an 'Amber' or 'Occasional' food?
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated margarine contain healthier types of fat and are therefore preferred spreads to butter (which is high in saturated fat). Margarine and butter are regarded as AMBER food choices with butter being discouraged from use. Butter is currently not a popular choice of spread in school canteens as it is a hard fat and is difficult to spread thinly and evenly.
Why isn't there a sugar level in the nutrient criteria? Is there an added sugar limit if a product still meets the energy criteria?
The 'Occasional Food Criteria' does not include a total sugar criteria. To keep the criteria as simple as possible and to ensure that foods containing naturally occurring sugars such as dairy products and fruit were not disadvantaged, no specific sugar criteria have been included. However, by setting a limit on the total kilojoule content of the product, the amount of sugar that can be added is limited.
What constitutes a serve size per age group and how will this be promoted to canteens and also to food manufacturers?
Do manufacturers have sufficient time to modify products?
It is recognised that the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy is significant to many manufacturers. It is apparent that 2004 will be a period of change for both manufacturers/distributors and canteens. Some products undergoing modification may not be ready to enter the canteen marketplace by the start of 2005. While this is the target date for canteens to implement the requirements of the strategy there will be ongoing opportunities for new and modified products to come on board at any time after this date.
What support will be forthcoming in regards to media/advertising and education of the school community?
Information on the resources that are being provided to schools to assist them to implement the strategy and to educate the school community can be found in the Fresh Tastes newsletters available on this web site.
The NSW School Canteen Association also provide support and information to schools through newsletters, Expos, Award program, Buyers Guide and their web site.
In relation to education of the school community, a range of strategies will be undertaken to support schools as part of the NSW Government's Childhood Obesity Action Plan.
Will only Government schools be given the support materials?
No - all schools in NSW will provided with the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy Resources as this strategy is a partnership between NSW Health and the three school sectors; Government, Catholic and Independent schools.
What are the Intellectual Property issues associated with the use and reproduction of the Fresh Tastes resources and logo?
The NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy materials are all available electronically, and can be downloaded and printed for use by everyone. However, this information is the intellectual property of the NSW Department of Health and the NSW Department of Education and Training. It should only be cited with full acknowledgement of the source.
The Fresh Tastes logo should not be reproduced without the consent of the NSW Department of Health and the NSW Department of Education and Training.
Why do we need two separate nutrient criteria (NSW SCA & NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy)?
The 'Occasional Food Criteria' in the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy is considered the basic standard for foods to be sold in school canteens. The criteria is designed to limit the sale of foods and drinks that provide minimal nutritional value or are most likely to contribute to overweight and obesity. Furthermore, it needs to be easily understood and implemented by those working in school canteens, many of whom are unpaid volunteers.
The role of the NSW SCA is to set criteria that identifies the healthiest food choices for school canteens. It is recognised that within many types of foods, and food products there will be healthier choices. As such, it is the role of the NSW SCA to assist schools in determining the healthiest products. The NSW SCA also provides extensive support for canteens in determining the healthiest choices, and hence they are able to use a more complex criteria to use for their product registrations.
Will the same food safety requirements recently introduced into NSW hospitals be applied to NSW schools (eg. Listeria levels in salads/fresh vegetables) ?
This question relates to the requirement for catering organisations to develop a Food Safety Program under the Ministerial Policy Guidelines. The definition of a catering organisation specifies a sit down service for 50 people or more. Most school canteens do not come under this definition but some do (eg. boarding school canteens).
Currently food services that provide for 'vulnerable' groups in the community are required to have a Food Safety Program to reduce the risk of food borne disease. This includes services that provide for children under the age of four years (eg. childcare services) and those that provide for people over the age of seventy (eg. hospitals and nursing homes).
While most school canteens will not be required to develop a Food Safety Program, all school canteens are governed by the Food Standards Code and the Food Act and must ensure that food is handled, heated, cooled and stored in a safe and hygienic manner.
A food safety video and handbook has been distributed nationally to assist school canteens to meet the food safety requirements. The resource is entitled Looking after our Kids. For additional copies contact Robyn Bromely at the Western Australian School Canteens Association on (08) 92441992 or email wasca@iinet.net.au.
Further Information
For more information on food safety issues contact the NSW Food Authority on ph: (02) 9741 4777.