Switch to new school healthy eating program provider triggers concerns banned junk food will reappear
Alterations to the way WA schools market healthier feeding on for children have prompted worries that junk foodstuff these kinds of as chips, tender drinks and lollies could creep again on to school canteen menus.
The Health Division lately awarded a $3.7 million agreement to Victorian-based mostly organisation Nourishment Australia to deliver a “whole of university balanced ingesting program” — snubbing the WA College Canteen Affiliation, which has delivered the State Government’s healthful foodstuff and consume policy in faculties for the past 15 years.
Whilst the new application is predicted to continue on a traffic mild method categorising food stuff decisions as eco-friendly for nutritious, amber for occasional, or crimson for junk, there are fears the new service provider will modify WA’s standards.
“At a college amount, that may suggest the overall health of our youngsters is influenced simply because we could have some unhealthy objects coming into colleges which have now not been there,” WASCA chief executive Megan Sauzier claimed.
“The traffic gentle program is a little bit diverse in Victoria. Pink foodstuff, for instance, which are comfortable beverages, lollies and chips, are off the menu in WA and have been off the menu from 2007, whereas in Victoria you’re permitted to have crimson meals two times a time period.”
Nutrition Australia is yet to release total aspects of its tactic, but insists there would be no rapid changes to WA’s traffic light-weight requirements.
“We will carry out the criteria the WA authorities wants us to put into practice,” Diet Australia’s Victorian wholesome eating advisory support software supervisor Margaret Rozman claimed.
Ms Sauzier said the determination to disregard WASCA’s superb keep track of report and practical experience to award the tender to an interstate organisation intended its funding had been slashed by 41 for each cent, significantly cutting down its capability to assist educational facilities and evaluate their canteen menus.
“We seem forward to viewing what is produced . . . but until eventually that services is set up, we’re unsure what that will appear like and there’s most likely to be a gap in the products and services universities are applied to acquiring,” she stated. “Anything that increases the stress on faculty or canteen workers is most likely to have a damaging outcome.”
Pania Turner, president of the WA Council of Point out School Organisations — the peak system for P&C groups which function most school canteens — has penned to Health and fitness Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson and Health Office director-basic David Russell-Weisz to express her “disappointment at the deficiency of consultation”, adding: “I have concerns that support for developing healthy foodstuff cultures in school communities will be considerably less.”
Ms Turner reported canteens ended up an essential school services. “It is essential that they have entry to specialist help from persons who realize WA educational facilities and the complexities that occur from jogging canteens which are largely staffed by volunteers,” she reported.
A spokeswoman for the Wellness Section said it performed an open up, aggressive tender process to pick a method provider in accordance with WA Authorities procurement coverage to roll out a detailed new total-of-school healthful having application for all WA faculties — community and personal.
“A new web-site for colleges with methods, curriculum components, online teaching and an on-line FoodChecker recipe and menu evaluation device will be delivered, as perfectly as telephone, email and encounter-to-deal with help for all university and canteen team,” she said.
“Terms 3 and 4 are a transition stage, although the new program is rolled out in complete by the start of the 2023 college yr.”
The spokeswoman stated supporting West Australians to halt soaring obesity stages was a essential precedence for the division.
“Helping children create balanced feeding on behaviors though in college is in an crucial aspect of the concerted exertion to aid the total WA community attain this aim,” she stated.
The Training Division said the supplier would want to assist schools to enact the needs of the Wholesome Food items and Drink in Public Colleges processes.
