Queensland schools have gone on a banning spree in an attempt to make canteen menus healthier for pupils.
Items such as carbonated juices, vegetable crisps, corn chips and all baked goods are now classified as ‘red’ in the traffic light category system and will be removed from school canteen menus by term three.
Instead, under the new regulations children will be able to purchase bottles of plain water, low fat milk and non-carbonated juice.
Queensland’s Smart Choices Healthy Food and Drinks Supply Strategy uses ‘green’ ‘amber’ and ‘red’ to classify the health suitability of foods.
The ‘green’ category includes foods that are the ‘best choice’ and should be available every day. This includes: low fat or soy milk, plain water, wholegrain (or gluten free) sandwiches and un-iced fruit buns. Plain rice, polenta, cous cous and plain air-popped popcorn with no added butter are also considered to be Green.
Unsurprisingly, fresh fruit, low fat cheeses and yoghurt have also been labelled Green.
‘Amber’ is for food and drinks that should be ‘selected carefully’.
Conversely, the ‘red’ category is used for foods that should not be included on a healthy school canteen menu. ‘Red’ foods are low in nutritional value and contain excess kilojoules. Nutella, chocolate chip cookies, finger buns, cakes, slices and confectionery have all been categorised as Red.
Icy-poles, fruit ice blocks. Slushies, ice crushes and fruit juice with less than 99 per cent fruit juice and/or added sugar are ‘not recommended’ on a school canteen menu.
The changes mostly affect drinks, so things that were ‘amber’ will now be classed as ‘red’.
“There [are] quite a few of those drinks being served now because they are OK to be served now,” Queensland Association of School Tuckshops executive services manager Chris Ogden told the Brisbane Times.
Ogden said that the aim of the “dramatic” changes was to cut down on the amount of sugar children are consuming.
You may also like: Man finds HUGE spider in son’s shoe
