Unhealthy foods get chop from tuck shops

Reriti Tau, 14 (left), Emma Skipworth, 14 (centre), and Ashleigh Webster say banning unhealthy food is

Unhealthy food will be banned from school tuck shops next year under policies designed to help control a worsening obesity epidemic.

Pies, sugary soft drinks and chips face the chop under the policies unveiled yesterday.

They also aim to cut TV watching and encourage more physical activity.

Underlining the policies' significance, five Government ministers lined up to announce them at the Aotea Centre alongside the World Health Organisation's week-long Asia-Pacific regional meeting.

Main changes will be:

* Development of national nutritional guidelines for schools and early childhood centres. These will identify food and drinks in three categories - suitable for everyday consumption and to be promoted, for limited provision during the school day and not recommended to be provided.

* Enforcement of the guidelines by school boards, to be audited by the Education Review Office.

"It essentially is a banning," said Education Minister Steve Maharey. "The guidelines mean that something like the high level of sugar, salt and fat on the shelves of some schools won't be able to be there in future."

Health Minister Pete Hodgson said the three-tier classification system was yet to be developed but could be the "traffic-light" system of red, orange or green labels now used in Europe.

This could later be applied to the country's whole food supply.

He expects the new school system to be operating by the start of the next academic year.

The regulations will require school boards "to develop policies that promote and achieve healthy nutrition and reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods and drinks".

They will also apply to children's lunch boxes although, unlike for canteens, schools will not be expected to "achieve" healthy foods. The requirement will be to have policies on bringing healthy food and drink.

"We're not policing what goes into a [lunch] box," said Mr Maharey.

"It's really about trying to develop a good, positive lifestyle that kids will want to live, not brow-beating them into not having a cookie now and again."

The nutrition guidelines and regulations are among 10 schemes announced yesterday in a $67 million attack on obesity.

It is part of the $76.1 million committed in this year's Budget for anti-obesity work over four years.

Others are nutrition training for teachers, guidelines - yet to be written - on food advertising to children, expanding the Push-Play social marketing campaign to promote "screen-free" time, encouraging public servants, including at the Ministry of Health, to lead by example in being more physically active and using music, screen and sport stars to promote healthy choices to young people.

The Government is worried about a blow-out in public health system costs from the escalation of obesity-caused type 2 diabetes, a problem which may mean the current generation of children will live shorter lives than their parents.

The adult rate of obesity has more than doubled since 1977 - 21 per cent are now classified as obese, a further 35 per cent as overweight. Among children, 10 per cent are obese and 21 per cent are overweight.

Principals Federation national president Pat Newman said schools supported improving nutrition and many were doing so - most primary schools had removed sugary soft drinks - but he objected to the Government forcing nutrition rules on schools and to the lack of consultation.

"Before [this] we could do as much as we can; now we're legally the meat in the sandwich."

The Food Industry Group's executive director, Rob Bree, said it was involved in developing the school food classification system and doubted the Government would ban any food.

Greens health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said the school nutrition policies were "a great start in transforming school food".


Junk-food ban in schools leaves nasty taste for some

Ashleigh Webster and her friends don't see the sense in banning unhealthy foods from schools.

"I think it's dumb," the 15-year-old Auckland Girls' Grammar School student said yesterday.

"It's our own choice really. It's up to the school if they want to let us eat unhealthy food.

"I get enough healthy food at home. I normally bring lunch - a sandwich of salad and meat, fruits, something that's not healthy to balance it out, like a muesli bar or chips."

Ashleigh sometimes buys a pie on the way to school, which is cheaper than buying one at school.

But older pupils Rachelle Peterson, 18, and Jacquelyn Myocevich, 17, can see good reason for removing unhealthy foods such as pies.

"All those studies show fat food makes you tired," said Jacquelyn.

"Eat fruit and it will make you more enthusiastic about going to class for the last two periods rather than going home to sleep.

"Our cafe has a lot of variety. Salads. Sandwiches. We have more healthy food available than junk foods. We have pies."

Sandwiches cost more than $3, she said, and pies $2.

Rachelle: "If someone has got $2 they will buy whatever is cheaper, which is the pie."