COURTNEY BURKE
SCHOOL-provided meals could be the answer to better nutrition for local students, a team of Flinders University researchers has revealed.
Flinders Caring Futures Institute deputy director Professor Rebecca Golley said “a universal school-provided lunch model could help to ensure all children have access to food at school”.
“(School-provided lunch) could reduce the stigma of children not having lunch or having different types of foods to their peers, and help to ensure children are provided with healthy lunch options,” she said.
In a separate study conducted in New South Wales it was found that 40 per cent of the energy children aged five to 12 consume at school comes from unhealthy food.
St Joseph’s School Renmark health and physical education co-ordinator Fraser Sampson said that the statistic was “not entirely surprising”.
“We monitor it pretty closely and have a look about at students’ lunch boxes each day as they’re eating and there is a big inconsistency,” he said.
“A (school-provided lunch) is a good way to introduce students to different cuisines that they might not normally have experienced at home.
“On the flip side, I think preparing a lunch is an important process for students to be involved in.
“It’s only a small thing but it teaches students a lot about independence and responsibility.
“I can’t really say that it would be easy getting kids’ lunch boxes organised in the morning but I think education is where we need to start with it and that’s why there is a lot more health in the curriculum with a large focus on nutrition.”
The NSW study gathered feedback from education, health and social services, non-government organisations, the food industry, and parents to consider the best approach for schools.
Among the option considered were a ‘community restaurant’, where meals could be prepared, or off-site meals service by dedicated food preparation staff with meals delivered in bulk to school grounds.
The top-ranked option was the universal school-provided lunch model, where existing canteen facilities and infrastructure could be used to prepare meals on site, and fees for parents subsidised based on their family income.
Participants also considered the feasibility of a student/self-serve preparation model, involving students choosing and preparing their own lunch before school or in the classroom at a food-creation station or mini supermarket.