KEY POINTS:
Government moves to get schools to sell only healthy foods have come as a complete surprise, principals said today.
Changes to school regulations, the National Administration Guidelines, are to be announced today.
It is expected that sales of food and drink with high fat, sugar and salt content
would either not be allowed, or be restricted, on school premises.
Education Minister Steve Maharey today said the changes were part of the health Mission On programme and the guidelines had been discussed for months before being confirmed today.
But New Zealand Principals Federation president Judy Hanna said the move had not been well signalled.
"Principals don't know about it yet -- it's arriving today in their mailout," she said today.
"It wasn't a well-signalled move at all."
Ms Hanna said the government had put a lot of money into the Mission On programme, which promoted healthy eating in schools.
"We don't have a problem with that - there is a problem with obese children. But this is a National Administration Guideline which is a compliance.
"It says schools, where they sell food and drink, may only offer healthy options. The way it is stated, there is no room for interpretation, no room movement."
Mr Maharey said today most schools had been preparing for the changes and he had had no complaints.
The Health Ministry would release food and beverage guidelines later in the year and they would be introduced by July 1, 2008.
There would not be a straight ban but an emphasis on selling more of good foods.
Schools would have to show they were complying by having a working policy in place.
Gala days and fund-raising would be exempt.
"This is something well-signalled, it's part of a broad programme, it's guidelines aimed at those tuckshops, you can still sell your sausage sizzles, you can still sell chocolate but we will be providing a lot of guidelines, a lot of alternatives to schools to try and encourage them to move..."
National Party education spokeswoman Katherine Rich said the changes were bureaucratic meddling in school management.
"Labour keeps saying it wants to reduce bureaucracy, and then with every announcement it ups the red-tape and reporting requirements," she said.
Mrs Rich said students would buy junk food elsewhere.
"What next? lunch box police?"
"No one denies that we need to tackle childhood obesity but many schools already have policies in place so they can provide healthy eating options.
"But getting kids to choose mung beans over meat pies is another issue."
Ms Hanna said most schools had already cut down on pies and fatty foods, and were introducing healthier options.
"You don't mandate healthy eating. They'll get it from the dairy down the road and then what do you do ? Do we start searching children's bags?
"Why are schools being given responsibility for the nation's health? Surely that belongs to the family."
The Obesity Action Coalition today welcomed the move as a positive one towards battling New Zealand's increasing obesity levels.
Executive director Leigh Sturgiss said it was "crazy" to tell children soft drinks and pies weren't good for them, and then sell them to pupils on a daily basis.
"The argument from some schools that their pupils will buy energy dense, nutrition poor food from the local diary on their way to school is a cop out," Ms Sturgiss said.
"Local diaries also sell girly magazines, cigarettes and alcohol, but schools don't provide those products to their pupils.
"I have a small amount of sympathy with principals and teachers, but they do have to teach a health curriculum and part of that is teaching good nutrition and how to eat well."
Ms Sturgiss said schools should not have to sell unhealthy products to meet basic funding needs.
"We should have our schools properly funded, and we have to make sure our funding sources are appropriate. We don't have our school camps sponsored by Tui, and we shouldn't have them sponsored by Cadbury."
- NZPA
