Young High School is the first high school canteen in the Murrumbidgee to meet the food and drink benchmarks of the new NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy.
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Emma Bigwood, canteen supervisor, now provides a healthy, tasty menu to fully comply with the new food and drink benchmark.
The revised strategy is led by the Department of Education in partnership with Murrumbidgee Local Health District and Healthy Kids Association NSW.
The new food and drink benchmark aims to be implemented in all NSW public schools by the end of 2019 and applies to school canteens and vending machines.
It requires each menu section to consist of at least 75 per cent everyday food and drink such as breads, fruit, water, milks, vegetables and meats that are not crumbed or fried, and no more than 25 per cent occasional item with at least a three-and-a-half health star rating.
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Portion limits apply and promotion and marketing practices are reinforced.
Emma is very pleased to have her canteen compliant and meeting all the benchmarks.
“I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the previous canteen manager Amanda Scott who had started making some changes in the menu before I took over from her earlier this year,” Emma said.
The healthy options are becoming increasingly popular which is really encouraging to see.”
Principal of Young High School Keith Duran is proud of his school canteen.
“Without Emma’s enthusiasm and effort we would not be anywhere near meeting the requirements of these new guidelines. She has been very proactive and spent a lot of her own time designing a healthy menu that is healthy and remains popular among the students,” Mr Duran said.
Barb Manwaring, Health Promotion Officer at the Young Health Service, has been working with local school canteens to help them meet requirements.
“It is a very exciting achievement for Young High School to be the very first high school canteen in the whole of Murrumbidgee Local Health District to successfully meet the new healthy standards,” she said.”
“It shows that it really is possible to have a healthier canteen that remains viable and profitable.
“I am very proud of what Emma has achieved with the Young High School canteen menu and how hard Emma has worked in the last few months to meet the new mandatory menu criteria that will come into effect in the next 18 months for all NSW government schools.”
