Luxury on Sale
8
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010 THE SUN-HERALD
INVESTIGATION
Fat lot of good done by $600,000 school tuckshops are ‘unusable’ SMALL canteens constructed under the federal government’s Building the Education Revolution program encourage the provision of prepacked heat-and-serve food. Critics of the canteens, which are about 24 square metres and cost up to $600,000, say they lack the space needed to prepare fresh food. The Healthy Kids Association general manager, Jo Gardner, described the buildings as unsuitable for producing healthy food on a mass scale. ‘‘The standards being implemented by the state Department of Education and Training in new and refurbished canteens are grossly inadequate,’’ she said. ‘‘They do not meet opportunities for schools to efficiently and effectively deliver fresh food – they have inadequate bench space; they don’t have wash-up sinks that are of a commercial nature. The push is very heat-and-serve.’’ The department has agreed to extend the new canteen being built at Tottenham Central School near Dubbo after parents complained it was unusable.
Rachel Browne ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
PRIMARY and high schools across the state are flouting state government instructions on what should be sold in school canteens. The government promised to bar junk food six years ago under its Healthy School Canteen Strategy. Under the much-heralded strategy, high-fat and sugary foods were supposed to be sold no more than twice a term and soft drinks were meant to be banned. Meat pies, sausage rolls, cakes and ice-creams were also to be restricted. But a Sun-Herald study of schools in Sydney, regional areas and country towns has found that most canteens are still serving foods like hot chips, doughnuts, chocolates and soft drinks. The Department of Education is raking in millions each year from leasing canteens to independent contractors supposed to follow the Healthy School Canteen Strategy guidelines. Healthy Kids Association general manager Jo Gardner said plenty of canteens broke the rules, whether they were run by parents and citizens associations, principals or independent contractors. ‘‘Just as some parent bodies aren’t operating by the guidelines, some principal-run canteens aren’t operating by the guidelines and some leased canteens aren’t operating by the guidelines,’’ she said. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says a quarter of Australian children aged five to 17 are overweight or obese. ‘‘The health of these kids is becoming quite dire in terms of the cost to society,’’ Ms Gardner said. She said the state government had failed to implement the strategy – announced by then premier Bob Carr in 2004 in response to the 2002 Childhood Obesity Summit – and there were no penalties for schools which
Not enough bench space ... the canteen at Tottenham Central School. ‘‘The biggest problem with the design is that the preparation space is minimal,’’ the school’s Parents and Citizens’ Association president, Rick Bennett, said. ‘‘The bench space is OK if you are serving pre-packed food like pies to help them implement healthy canteen menus. Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, who helped develop the menu guide for the Healthy School Canteen Strategy, said she was disappointed to find junk food available. ‘‘What schools have now is definitely an improvement but there are still some suspect things being sold,’’ Dr Stanton said.
ignored the guidelines. ‘‘The government introduced a strategy, it provided a range of wonderful resources and some training but it made nobody accountable for implementing the strategy,’’ she said. The Department of Education earned $4.29 million from leasing canteens last year, an increase of 8 per cent on its earnings in 2008. Ms Gardner called on the government to police and enforce the strategy: ‘‘The Department of Education and Training needs to take a leadership position and restate the importance of good diet and nutrition while kids are at school.’’ A department spokesman acknowledged an increasing reliance on contractors as the number of parent volunteers available for canteen duty dwindled because of the rise in the number of families in which both parents worked. He said most school canteens were run by parents and citizens associations, and schools were provided with plenty of resources and support
and sausage rolls where there is no preparation. But as soon as you need to prepare something like a salad box you’re in trouble because of the lack of space.’’ He also said the lack of serving space meant children would spend
most of their lunch hour in the queue rather than running around. ‘‘The kids only have a small amount of time for their lunch,’’ he said. ‘‘You want as many people serving in the canteens as possible so the kids don’t spend their entire lunch break standing in a line waiting to be served. By the time they have eaten, there is no time for them to run around and play.’’ An Education Department spokesman said the canteens were in line with the department’s schools facilities standards. But Louise Appel, secretary of the Parents and Citizens’ Association at Orange Grove Public School, which received the same canteen, said the design was flawed. ‘‘They told us that this was the standard design and I would say, ‘But read my lips – there is no bench space,’ ’’ Ms Appel said. ‘‘What sort of standard design for a canteen has no food preparation space?’’ The canteen at Orange Grove, in Sydney’s inner-west, has also undergone alterations to create more bench space. Rachel Browne
red for ‘‘no more than twice a term’’, amber for ‘‘select carefully’’ and green for ‘‘fill the menu foods’’. ‘‘A lot of food manufacturers went from things which probably would have got a red classification to making them a bit better so they got an amber classification,’’ Dr Stanton said. ‘‘We didn’t see anyone going from amber to green. ‘‘It’s time to look very carefully at
The health of these kids is becoming quite dire in terms of the cost to society. Jo Gardner, Healthy Kids Association She said food manufacturers had altered the nutritional content of products such as chicken nuggets, meat pies and sausage rolls to get around the guidelines but they could hardly be described as health food. The colour-coded guidelines use
all those things which fit into amber – in other words they have a bit less salt, a bit less sugar, a bit less fat – they’re still not exactly healthy.’’ NSW P&C Federation president Helen Walton said many schools struggled to sell healthy food to chil-
dren and risked losing money on perishable foods such as fruit and salads. About 70 per cent of the state’s 2200 public schools have canteens – two-thirds of which are open every day. Up to 10 per cent of students buy lunch and recess every day. ‘‘You have to have products that kids are going to buy,’’ she said. ‘‘A lot of P&C-run canteens are staffed by volunteers, there to raise a bit of extra money for the school. If kids aren’t going to buy the products, they will risk running at a loss.’’ But Margaret Hays, from the Dietitians Association of Australia, said it was possible to sell nutritious food to children. With health on the school curriculum, selling products such as pies, sausage rolls, chips and cakes sent the wrong signal. ‘‘It is a mixed message,’’ she said. ‘‘On one hand we try to guide children’s eating habits and we won’t condone the marketing of junk food to children but on the other hand it’s there and available at school.’’
씰 Editorial — Extra, Page 16
qantas.com/holidays
Luxury on Sale WESTIN DENARAU RESORT & SPA - 50% OFF ACCOMMODATION
SHERATON MIRAGE PORT DOUGLAS - STAY 3, PAY 2
• Return economy airfare flying Air Pacific from Sydney to Nadi • 4 nights accommodation in a Garden View room • Full breakfast daily & return airport transfers • Ask about our Kids Stay and Eat FREE offer Travel 11 Oct to 7 Dec 10 & 27 Jan to 31 Mar 11 from
≥≥
≥
†
$949
≥ ≥
per person twin share
• 3 nights accommodation for the price of 2 in a Deluxe Garden View room • Flights not included - ask us for best available airfare • Buy one buffet breakfast and receive one FREE Travel 1 Sep to 23 Sep & 26 Sep 10 to 31 Mar 11 from
≥≥
AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED. OFFERS END 30 SEP 2010, UNLESS SOLD OUT PRIOR.
13 14 35 Harvey World Travel 13 27 57 Travellers Choice 1300 78 78 58 Travelscene American Express 13 13 98
Jetset
13 63 83
Travelworld
1300 659 137 Qantas Holidays 13 14 15
Qantas Travel
† Agents may charge service fees and/or fees for card payments which vary. If you book with Qantas Holidays an additional 1.4% fee applies to credit card payments and a $25 service fee applies to phone bookings. Prices correct at 26 Aug 10 but may fluctuate if surcharges, fees, taxes or currency change. Offers subject to availability. Amounts payable to third parties not included. Please check all prices, availability and other information with your travel consultant before booking. These property ratings are Qantas Holidays’ views, not official ratings. Qantas Holidays Limited ABN 24 003 836 459. Licence No: NSW/ACT – 2TA 003 004. QHI0074/SSH
1HERSA1 0008
†
$329
per person twin share
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010 THE SUN-HERALD
INVESTIGATION
Fat lot of good done by $600,000 school tuckshops are ‘unusable’ SMALL canteens constructed under the federal government’s Building the Education Revolution program encourage the provision of prepacked heat-and-serve food. Critics of the canteens, which are about 24 square metres and cost up to $600,000, say they lack the space needed to prepare fresh food. The Healthy Kids Association general manager, Jo Gardner, described the buildings as unsuitable for producing healthy food on a mass scale. ‘‘The standards being implemented by the state Department of Education and Training in new and refurbished canteens are grossly inadequate,’’ she said. ‘‘They do not meet opportunities for schools to efficiently and effectively deliver fresh food – they have inadequate bench space; they don’t have wash-up sinks that are of a commercial nature. The push is very heat-and-serve.’’ The department has agreed to extend the new canteen being built at Tottenham Central School near Dubbo after parents complained it was unusable.
Rachel Browne ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
PRIMARY and high schools across the state are flouting state government instructions on what should be sold in school canteens. The government promised to bar junk food six years ago under its Healthy School Canteen Strategy. Under the much-heralded strategy, high-fat and sugary foods were supposed to be sold no more than twice a term and soft drinks were meant to be banned. Meat pies, sausage rolls, cakes and ice-creams were also to be restricted. But a Sun-Herald study of schools in Sydney, regional areas and country towns has found that most canteens are still serving foods like hot chips, doughnuts, chocolates and soft drinks. The Department of Education is raking in millions each year from leasing canteens to independent contractors supposed to follow the Healthy School Canteen Strategy guidelines. Healthy Kids Association general manager Jo Gardner said plenty of canteens broke the rules, whether they were run by parents and citizens associations, principals or independent contractors. ‘‘Just as some parent bodies aren’t operating by the guidelines, some principal-run canteens aren’t operating by the guidelines and some leased canteens aren’t operating by the guidelines,’’ she said. The Australian Bureau of Statistics says a quarter of Australian children aged five to 17 are overweight or obese. ‘‘The health of these kids is becoming quite dire in terms of the cost to society,’’ Ms Gardner said. She said the state government had failed to implement the strategy – announced by then premier Bob Carr in 2004 in response to the 2002 Childhood Obesity Summit – and there were no penalties for schools which
Not enough bench space ... the canteen at Tottenham Central School. ‘‘The biggest problem with the design is that the preparation space is minimal,’’ the school’s Parents and Citizens’ Association president, Rick Bennett, said. ‘‘The bench space is OK if you are serving pre-packed food like pies to help them implement healthy canteen menus. Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, who helped develop the menu guide for the Healthy School Canteen Strategy, said she was disappointed to find junk food available. ‘‘What schools have now is definitely an improvement but there are still some suspect things being sold,’’ Dr Stanton said.
ignored the guidelines. ‘‘The government introduced a strategy, it provided a range of wonderful resources and some training but it made nobody accountable for implementing the strategy,’’ she said. The Department of Education earned $4.29 million from leasing canteens last year, an increase of 8 per cent on its earnings in 2008. Ms Gardner called on the government to police and enforce the strategy: ‘‘The Department of Education and Training needs to take a leadership position and restate the importance of good diet and nutrition while kids are at school.’’ A department spokesman acknowledged an increasing reliance on contractors as the number of parent volunteers available for canteen duty dwindled because of the rise in the number of families in which both parents worked. He said most school canteens were run by parents and citizens associations, and schools were provided with plenty of resources and support
and sausage rolls where there is no preparation. But as soon as you need to prepare something like a salad box you’re in trouble because of the lack of space.’’ He also said the lack of serving space meant children would spend
most of their lunch hour in the queue rather than running around. ‘‘The kids only have a small amount of time for their lunch,’’ he said. ‘‘You want as many people serving in the canteens as possible so the kids don’t spend their entire lunch break standing in a line waiting to be served. By the time they have eaten, there is no time for them to run around and play.’’ An Education Department spokesman said the canteens were in line with the department’s schools facilities standards. But Louise Appel, secretary of the Parents and Citizens’ Association at Orange Grove Public School, which received the same canteen, said the design was flawed. ‘‘They told us that this was the standard design and I would say, ‘But read my lips – there is no bench space,’ ’’ Ms Appel said. ‘‘What sort of standard design for a canteen has no food preparation space?’’ The canteen at Orange Grove, in Sydney’s inner-west, has also undergone alterations to create more bench space. Rachel Browne
red for ‘‘no more than twice a term’’, amber for ‘‘select carefully’’ and green for ‘‘fill the menu foods’’. ‘‘A lot of food manufacturers went from things which probably would have got a red classification to making them a bit better so they got an amber classification,’’ Dr Stanton said. ‘‘We didn’t see anyone going from amber to green. ‘‘It’s time to look very carefully at
The health of these kids is becoming quite dire in terms of the cost to society. Jo Gardner, Healthy Kids Association She said food manufacturers had altered the nutritional content of products such as chicken nuggets, meat pies and sausage rolls to get around the guidelines but they could hardly be described as health food. The colour-coded guidelines use
all those things which fit into amber – in other words they have a bit less salt, a bit less sugar, a bit less fat – they’re still not exactly healthy.’’ NSW P&C Federation president Helen Walton said many schools struggled to sell healthy food to chil-
dren and risked losing money on perishable foods such as fruit and salads. About 70 per cent of the state’s 2200 public schools have canteens – two-thirds of which are open every day. Up to 10 per cent of students buy lunch and recess every day. ‘‘You have to have products that kids are going to buy,’’ she said. ‘‘A lot of P&C-run canteens are staffed by volunteers, there to raise a bit of extra money for the school. If kids aren’t going to buy the products, they will risk running at a loss.’’ But Margaret Hays, from the Dietitians Association of Australia, said it was possible to sell nutritious food to children. With health on the school curriculum, selling products such as pies, sausage rolls, chips and cakes sent the wrong signal. ‘‘It is a mixed message,’’ she said. ‘‘On one hand we try to guide children’s eating habits and we won’t condone the marketing of junk food to children but on the other hand it’s there and available at school.’’
씰 Editorial — Extra, Page 16
qantas.com/holidays
Luxury on Sale WESTIN DENARAU RESORT & SPA - 50% OFF ACCOMMODATION
SHERATON MIRAGE PORT DOUGLAS - STAY 3, PAY 2
• Return economy airfare flying Air Pacific from Sydney to Nadi • 4 nights accommodation in a Garden View room • Full breakfast daily & return airport transfers • Ask about our Kids Stay and Eat FREE offer Travel 11 Oct to 7 Dec 10 & 27 Jan to 31 Mar 11 from
≥≥
≥
†
$949
≥ ≥
per person twin share
• 3 nights accommodation for the price of 2 in a Deluxe Garden View room • Flights not included - ask us for best available airfare • Buy one buffet breakfast and receive one FREE Travel 1 Sep to 23 Sep & 26 Sep 10 to 31 Mar 11 from
≥≥
AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED. OFFERS END 30 SEP 2010, UNLESS SOLD OUT PRIOR.
13 14 35 Harvey World Travel 13 27 57 Travellers Choice 1300 78 78 58 Travelscene American Express 13 13 98
Jetset
13 63 83
Travelworld
1300 659 137 Qantas Holidays 13 14 15
Qantas Travel
† Agents may charge service fees and/or fees for card payments which vary. If you book with Qantas Holidays an additional 1.4% fee applies to credit card payments and a $25 service fee applies to phone bookings. Prices correct at 26 Aug 10 but may fluctuate if surcharges, fees, taxes or currency change. Offers subject to availability. Amounts payable to third parties not included. Please check all prices, availability and other information with your travel consultant before booking. These property ratings are Qantas Holidays’ views, not official ratings. Qantas Holidays Limited ABN 24 003 836 459. Licence No: NSW/ACT – 2TA 003 004. QHI0074/SSH
1HERSA1 0008
†
$329
per person twin share
