Q: Does QAST support the new Smart Choices Strategy?
A: QAST does agree with the concept of improving the nutritional status of food and drinks provided in schools. Feed back from our members is that tuckshop convenors really value the well being of their student’s health and do want to provide healthy food items. Strategies like this support this endeavour and recognise tuckshops are not just for raising profits.
Q: Will tuckshops find it easy to make the changes required?
A: There are tuckshops who currently have a healthy menu which we believe would fit the strategy now. Many tuckshops will have vast changes to be made and will find it challenging. Tuckshops need to provide enough food to feed up to 400 or more students each break and this is difficult to achieve if all food is produced fresh on site, especially with a lack of volunteers and paid staff. The changes really do need to be supported by everyone in the school and the students should be involved in the process. Changes will also need to be marketed well.
Q: Will tuckshops lose profits with the new strategy?
A: Tuckshops that have made the change to a healthy tuckshop often find that they achieve an increase in profit if the change is conducted as part of an education program that involves students and parents. Taking away the lollies and soft drinks has meant in some cases that the children have more money to spend on real food. It also could mean that parents are happier for their children to buy from the tuckshop more often if they know that the food is healthy.
Q: Where should tuckshops start?
A: The most important place to start is to gather interest and support from the whole school community. Making these changes can not be just the responsibility of the convenor. This is not something that can be done overnight and the Principal, parent body, students and staff should be involved. A health promoting schools approach is required to get all sectors of the school community on board. Only when this occurs can changes be made that will be supported by students. What QAST would also like to see is stronger links between the tuckshop and the classroom.
Q: What benefits can the school expect from making these changes?
A: The main aim should be to achieve the supply of healthy food choices to students when buying food at school. This will support what they learn in the classroom about their health and promotes positive food choices outside of the home. Parents will be able to feel more confident in what food their children can access at school and this could lead to increased support and profits for the tuckshop. From past experience, in those schools that have changed to a healthy menu staff have also noticed a more settled behaviour after the breaks and better concentration in class. It would be expected that this would lead to better learning outcomes.
Q: What is wrong with having the occasional treat (cream bun) from the tuckshop?
A: There is nothing wrong with students having the occasional treat. But we are talking about schools where children learn from the whole environment – not just in the classroom. For many students this is the first time they get to purchase food without parental influence and this is an important part of growing up and learning to make the best choice. What has changed since we were kids is that, for some students, lunch from the tuckshop is purchased everyday and is playing a greater role in their overall nutrition. Of course, healthy foods can be a treat as well!!
Q: What are healthy tuckshop foods?
A: Generally foods that are fresh are rich in a range of vitamins and minerals - and not too high in kilojoules, fat or salt. Tuckshops have had success with items like sushi, wraps, and salad bars in high school. We know Queenslanders don’t get enough vegetables in particular, so we would be keen to see more on tuckshop menus.
Q: There has been a similar strategy operating in NSW. Do you think it will be the same in Qld?
A: The jury is still out on the NSW strategy. Schools still have time to implement it and no formal evaluation has been completed. QAST would hope that we learn from the NSW experience on how to successfully implement our strategy.
A major difference with the Qld and NSW strategies is that in Queensland it relates to the whole school not just food and drink supplied at the tuckshop. We believe that this will be beneficial with the implementation.
Q: Aren’t healthy foods more expensive?
A: Preparing healthy food can be more labour intensive to produce and this has proven to be a major issue. Again this gets back to the need for support from the school community and how each tuckshop is managed. QAST is here to support tuckshops and convenors to manage their “business” effectively to achieve both a healthy and financially viable food service.
Q: Surely parents should have a say in what their child can eat?
A: They do. Parents can be involved in their school bodies, like the P&C, be on the tuckshop committee or provide their school with their input. Schools have a responsibility to support the health of their students and of course, there is always the choice to not buy from the school at all. Parents now will be more in control of the treats their children receive, as students will no longer be receiving treats at school that parents are not aware of, like confectionary rewards from teachers.