Young Public School and Monteagle Public School are the latest local canteens in the Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) to meet the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy Food and Drink Benchmark.
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The benchmark is for canteen menus to include at last 75 per cent 'everyday' food and drinks and no more than 25 per cent 'occasional' items with at least a 3.5 Health Star Rating.
The strategy is led by the Department of Education in partnership with MLHD.
The Food and Drink Benchmark aims to be implemented in all NSW public schools by the end of 2019.
Canteen Manager at Young Public, Rowena Moncrieff, and Canteen Manager at Monteagle Public, Joy Goodman, have been working hard over the past months to design and provide a new healthy and tasty menu for the students at their respective schools.
"Since finding out about the new strategy I have spent several months trialling and designing a really healthy menu which I am very proud of. It has been a lot of work but very worthwhile," Young Public School's Ms Moncrieff said.
"I am also pleased to note the healthy options are becoming increasingly popular."
Canteen Manager at Monteagle Public School, Joy Goodman agrees that it has been a worthwhile undertaking, and while the canteen only operates one day every three weeks for the students at Monteagle it did take some adjustments and time to get their menu meeting the new healthier standards.
Both Edwina Wymer, Principal at Young Public School, and Monica Gordon, Principal at Monteagle Public School are very pleased that both of their canteen managers are offering these healthier choices for their respective students.
Both principals agree that both canteen managers are to be congratulated on achieving compliance well before the end of year deadline.
"Without their enthusiasm and effort, they would not be anywhere near meeting the strategy," Mrs Wymer said.
"Both managers have been proactive and spent a lot of her own time designing a new menu that is both healthy and remains profitable and popular among the students."
Barb Manwaring, Health Promotion Officer based at the Young Health Service, has worked with local school canteens over the past 18 months to assist them to meet the new mandatory requirements.
"These canteen managers are the leaders, being in the top 40 out of around 130 school canteens in the Murrumbidgee to meet the strategy, so I am particularly proud of their efforts," Ms Manwaring said.
"They are also demonstrating that it is possible to have a healthy and profitable canteen."