school canteens

canteens can make a real difference

With the increasing attention by parents, educators, nutrition experts and society in general on the role of school canteens in promoting healthy eating, can organics play a part in changing the school menu for our kids?

Healthy school meals can lead to better behaved students who are more alert in class, according to a report by the UK Soil Association.  The report found that students who eat meals made with fresh (preferably organic), unprocessed ingredients have “better concentration, improved attention spans, are less likely to be hyperactive, and are calmer and more alert in class. They also have an increased capacity to learn and are less likely to be absent from school” (Soil Association, 2004).

Even a small change such as switching to organic milk can help children’s concentration and behaviour.  According to the researchers in Wales, “organic milk contains 64% more Omega 3 fatty acids than non-organic milk. In some cases organic milk contains 240% more Omega 3 acids”.  The researchers also claim that “behaviour problems often improve if you switch your child to organic milk…and that organic milk consumption, compared to non-organic milk, can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s”  (Medical News, 2004).

Most of us are familiar with the impact Jamie Oliver has had on improving school lunches in the UK.  Last year the Blair Government responded to the success of the TV chef and the increasing backlash from parents for better school meals for their children by announcing a series of plans to swap junk food for 'organic and local' fresh meals. Sounds like a great idea our canteens in Australia could follow.

Indeed, the role of our local school canteens is coming under increasing scrutiny. In late 2005, the Sunday Age in Melbourne ran a series of articles profiling Australia’s childhood obesity crisis and questioned the effectiveness of many school canteens (and many State governments) in providing nutritious and healthy lunch options for students.  New South Wales is leading the way in healthy canteens by making it mandatory for State schools to provide food options in line with the “Healthy Kids’ Buyer’s Guide”. On the other hand, the Federal and Victorian Governments believe it is not the role of governments to be prescriptive of what can and cannot be eaten at schools.  It's a shame that there's not a co-ordinated national approach to improving our canteens as recent developments in the UK demonstrate that families do want the government to intervene to protect children’s health.

We believe school canteens can play a pivotal role in effecting behavioural change because they are ideally placed to directly influence children’s lives and impact their food choices.  Most adult food preferences are formed during childhood so it is critical that efforts are made to significantly improve the availability of healthy food options at school. An ideal way is to provide organic alternatives to conventional, highly processed foods containing too much fat, salt, sugar and artificial additives.

Leading researchers Bell and Swinburn found that “canteen users consume significantly greater amounts of foods likely to promote unhealthy weight gain, such as fast foods, confectionery and packaged snacks. The types of foods and beverages that predominate in school canteens not only undermine the health and nutrition curriculum, but also create the impression that foods and drinks that are high in fat, sugar and salt belong on the plate as ‘everyday foods’, rather than on the side as ‘occasional foods’ ".

Although it would be erroneous to argue that canteen food is the cause of all children’s health problems, most of us would agree that school is a place that should encourage healthy attitudes to food and well-being. Canteens are symbols for kids – and what parents and educators do to provide nutritional guidance to kids can be undermined when junk food is freely available from school tuckshops.

Nourishing our children’s health by providing healthy canteen food and drinks should be a priority for every school, and schools shouldn’t wait for government regulation before they can act. Canteens can make a real difference to the lives of kids right now. And organics can be part of that difference.

It's time to change the menu.

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