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1: Improving nutrition

Initiative 1 involves improving nutrition within the school and early childhood environments.

The aim is to ensure that food and drinks high in sugar, fat and salt are no longer provided at schools or early childhood education services.

Approximately 30% of children's daily food intake is consumed at school (this is possibly higher for under-5 year olds). By ensuring healthier food is sold and served in schools and early childhood education (ECE) services, young people's food choices can be influenced.

Many New Zealand schools have already limited or excluded the sale of soft drinks and certain foods. In these schools, as well as improvements in students' weight and dental care, there have been significant improvements in attendance, attention, behaviour and levels of concentration.

What's happening?
Communication and education
  • A high profile communication and education campaign supports this initiative by encouraging ECE services and schools, and families and communities to provide healthy food and drink choices to children and young people.  Developing a sense of shared responsibility amongst families, broader ECE services and school communities will ensure a more sustainable impact on children’s eating habits.
  • The campaign commenced in late 2006 and includes:
    1. letters from the government and the Ministry of Education to all ECE services, school boards and principals about Mission-On;
    2. toolkits for ECE services and schools developed in consultation with education stakeholders;
    3. local advertising campaigns to support activity of ECE services and schools; and
    4. a national publicity campaign.
Food and beverage classification system
  • The Ministry of Health has developed a food and beverage classification system that can be readily adopted by ECE services and schools, and understood by the community.  The food and beverage classification system identifies three categories of foods and beverages:

Everyday foods – appropriate for everyday consumption and to be promoted

Sometimes foods – for restricted provision

Occasional foods – limit provision of these foods to about once a term or four times a year

Information about the food and beverage classification system can be found on the Ministry of Health’s website http://www.moh.govt.nz/healthyeatinghealthyaction

  • Resources to support the food and beverage classification system are now available.  They include a User Guide and Catering Guidelines for schools and a similar set for ECE services.  Copies of these resources were sent to schools and early childhood centres in July 2007. These resources will be available in te reo Maori later in 2007.
  • The support resources are also available online, at the Ministry of Health’s website (the link is provided above).  You will also find there Frequently Asked Questions for media and for the industry as well as a background paper on the development of the food and beverage classification system.
Food and Nutrition Guidelines
  • The Ministry of Education’s Food and Nutrition for Healthy, Confident Kids guidelines to support healthy eating environments in New Zealand ECE services and schools were introduced in March 2007.
  • The guidelines cover the establishment of effective partnerships; effective teaching about food and nutrition; and guides to advertising, sponsorship, food-related events, using food for reward, fund raising and role modelling.  The guidelines also adopt the food and beverage classification system.
  •  Budget is allocated for the provision of regional professional development, workshops and resource development for ECE services, schools, and their communities. 
Regulation change – National Administration Guideline (5)
  • National Administration Guideline 5 currently requires Boards of Trustees to provide a safe physical and emotional environment for students.

From 1 June 2008, two additional clauses will require Boards of Trustees to:

  • promote healthy food and nutrition for all students
  • where food and beverages are sold on school premises, make only healthy options available
  • Many schools already promote healthy food and nutrition.  The new national administration guideline supports this by giving a clear policy statement to schools to promote healthy food and nutrition, and to make only healthy options available when food and beverages are sold on school premises.  The new guideline comes into effect on 1 June 2008 giving schools lead in time.  Schools are not expected to monitor the food and drinks students bring from home or buy off site.
Regulating – ECE Services

A review of the licensing and chartering requirements for all ECE services is currently underway (ECE Regulatory Review), which includes a review of the existing requirements related to food and potable drinking water. The sector was consulted on some draft food and water requirements in 2006 and there will be a further opportunity for input in late 2007.

Who's involved?

The Ministry of Health is leading the development of the food classification system and the Ministry of Education is leading the other components of this initiative.

http://www.sparc.org.nz/education/mission-on/2-student-health

 

>> Initiative 2 - Student health promotion

Updated | 21 Sep 2007.

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