| VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT POLICY FOR
SCHOOL CANTEENS & OTHER SCHOOL FOOD SERVICES |
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In October 2006, the Victorian Department of Education and Training
(DET) released its latest School Canteens and Other School Food
Services Policy.
This DET policy applies to school canteens and other school food
services within the school environment. As well as the school canteen
or tuckshop, it includes school events and activities such as celebrations
and sports days, vending machines and foods used in the curriculum.
While the policy may be implemented in government schools over
a period of time according to local circumstances, you are expected
in 2007 to have begun discussions regarding implementation of this
policy in your school.
Full details can be viewed at: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/schooloperations/healthycanteen/canteenmanual.htm
This policy was launched in conjunction with "go for your life"
- a whole of government initiative promoting healthy eating and
physical activity in Victoria. $57.5 million was allocated in the
2006-7 Victorian budget for "go for your life" initiatives.
Go for your life Healthy Canteen Kit
A Go for your life Healthy Canteen Kit incorporating the
policy has been produced to encourage students to make healthy food
choices at school and in life. The kit has been developed by the
Victorian Department of Education and Training in conjunction with
the Victorian Department of Human Services, NSW Department of Health,
NSW Department of Education and Training, Nutrition Australia and
Victorian Home Economics and Textile Teachers' Association.
The kit is in several sections: Policy, Getting Started, Food Planner,
Canteen Manual and Student Learning Activities (Years Prep - 10).
A CD-ROM of the entire kit is also available. It is to be distributed
to Victorian government schools by early 2007.
Food Categories
The "Go for your life" Healthy Canteen Kit is based on the principles
and nutrition models of the federal government's Australian
Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents and the
Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, and the Fresh
Tastes @ School, NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy. The kit
categorises and colour codes foods and drinks for schools as follows:
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CATEGORY (colour)
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COMMENT
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Everyday (green)
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Fill the menu - these items are most suitable for school
food services
Nutritional qualities:
- often high in nutrients and fibre;
- low in saturated fat and/or added sugars and/or salt;
- help to avoid an excess kilojoule intake
Examples: this category
is based on the 5 food groups and includes
- breads, grains, rice, pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals
- vegetables
- fruits
- dairy foods - reduced or low-fat milks, yoghurts, cheeses
- lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes
- water
Recommendations: include
most often as the main choices on canteen menu; make available
every day canteen is open; strongly encourage and promote
these foods and drinks; include as main choices at school
events and activities involving foods and drinks
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Select Carefully (amber)
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Select carefully
Nutritional qualities:
- contain some valuable nutrients;
- moderate in saturated fat and/or added sugars and/or salt;
- contribute to excess kilojoules if consumed in large serve
sizes
Examples: (subject to
assessment against nutrient criteria for "Occasionally" category)
- full fat dairy foods - milks, yoghurt, cheeses
- processed meats
- commercially prepared hot foods
- margarines, oils, spreads, sauces, gravies
- snack food bars (eg. breakfast bars, cereal bars, fruit
bars)
- cakes, cake-style muffins, sweet biscuits, slices
- savoury snack foods and biscuits
- low or reduced fat ice-creams, milk based ice confections,
dairy desserts
- ice blocks, ice slushees based on 100% fruit juice
- 100 % fruit juices
- artificially sweetened drinks
- some breakfast cereals
Recommendations: do not
let these items 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 this category; select
choices that contain fruits and/or vegetables; serve with
fruits and/or vegetables; do not promote vigorously at the
expense of items from the Everyday category
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Occasionally (red)
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Least suitable - not recommended for school food services
Nutritional qualities:
- very low in nutritional value;
- high in saturated fat and/or added sugars and/or added
salt;
- provide excess kilojoules
Examples: (based on the
"extra foods" as defined in the Australian Guide to Healthy
Eating, subject to assessment against nutrient criteria for
"Occasionally" category)
- sugar-sweetened drinks (sports drinks, cordials, fruit-flavoured
drinks)
- deep fried foods
- pastry-based or crumbed hot foods
- cakes, cake-style muffins, sweet biscuits, slices, bars,
donuts, danishes, croissants
- savoury snack foods (crisps, chips, biscuits, etc)
- ice-creams, ice confections, dairy desserts (chocolate-coated
and premium ice creams, icy-poles)
- cream, butter, copha, chocolate spreads, hundreds and
thousands
Recommendations: should
not be on the regular canteen menu; should be supplied on
no more than 2 occasions per term; should not be regularly
available in other areas of the school such as vending machines,
regular fundraising, classroom rewards
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Not At All
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From 2007, high sugar content soft drinks (including
energy drinks and flavoured mineral water with high sugar
content) should not be supplied through school food services.
From 2007-2009, confectionery sales through
school food services are to be phased out.
From 2009, no confectionery should be supplied
through school food services.
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(Reproduced from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/schooloperations/healthycanteen/foodplanner/categories.htm)
Nutrient Criteria for "Occasionally" Category
The "Go for your life" Healthy Canteen Kit includes nutrient
criteria for the "Occasionally" category based on the Fresh Tastes
@ School, NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy.
For this category, foods are divided into Hot Foods (assessed
per 100g) and Snack Foods and Drinks (assessed per serve).
"Occasionally" foods or drink are those that have more than (symbolised
by >) the number specified for energy, saturated fat or sodium,
or less than (symbolised by <) the number specified for fibre. These
foods should not be offered more than twice a term.
HOT FOODS (assessed per 100g)
(> means more than)
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FOOD OR DRINK
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ENERGY (kJ) per 100g
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SATURATED FAT (g) per 100g
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SODIUM (mg) per 100g
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Savoury pastries, pasta, oven-baked potato products
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>1000 kJ
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>5 g
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>400 mg
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Crumbed and coated foods, frankfurts, sausages
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>1000 kJ
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>5 g
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>700 mg
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NB. All types of deep-fried foods fit into the "Occasionally"
category and are not recommended for schools as they are too high
in kilojoules and fat.
SNACK FOODS AND DRINKS (assessed per serve)
(> means more than, < means less than)
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FOOD OR DRINK
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ENERGY (kJ) per serve
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SATURATED FAT (g) per serve
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SODIUM (mg) per serve
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FIBRE (g) per serve
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Sweetened drinks and ices*
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>300 kJ
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>100 mg
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Snack food bars and sweet biscuits
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>600 kJ
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>3 g
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<1.0 g
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Savoury snack foods and biscuits
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>600 kJ
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>3 g
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>200 mg
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Ice-creams, milk-based ice confections, dairy desserts
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>600 kJ
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>3 g
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Cakes, muffins, sweet pastries
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>900 kJ
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>3 g
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<1.5 g
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* "Sweetened drinks and ices" applies to cordials,
fruit-flavoured drinks, sports drinks, sports waters, ice blocks
and ice confections
(Reproduced from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/management/schooloperations/healthycanteen/foodplanner/nutrient.htm)
"VSCA Rating"
To assist you to implement this Victorian government policy in
your school, VSCA Registered Products are carefully assessed and
a "VSCA Rating" is allocated according to these criteria.
Click here to see a list
of current VSCA Registering
Companies
Click here to find out more about the VSCA
Buying Guide
Click here for more information about the
Victorian Government Policy for School Canteens and other School
Food Services
Click here to download
or print the VSCA Buying Guide in Adobe Acrobat pdf format
FROM A COMPANY? Click
here to find out more about participating in VSCA events. VSCA
registration is cost effective and offers companies unique opportunities
to participate in VSCA events and VSCA publicity and to be listed
in the VSCA Buying Guide.
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PLEASE NOTE: VSCA Registration
does not imply warranty for any product, service or company.
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