Healthy canteen opens

Roast lamb and steak aren't what you'd expect school students to be eating for lunch but hot, healthy meals are on the menu at Reporoa College.

The school's new kitchen and canteen, which served its first meals today, is the result of demand from students for healthier food options.

The canteen was to be officially opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark.

The school has spent $100,000 refurbishing its canteen, hall and functions area using a community grant from the Rotorua District Council.

The work has coincided with the college becoming a Health Promoting School - one of four in the Lakes district supported by Toi Te Ora Public Health.

Like the others - Selwyn and Owhata primary schools in Rotorua and Te Kura O Hirangi in Turangi - it is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of its students.

At Reporoa, the college has already developed a new health centre, Te Whare Awhina, and it now boasts a range of tasty and healthy food options for students throughout the day.

Principal Sue Winters identified the need for an improved canteen when she surveyed students for their wishlist ideas about three years ago. At the time, the canteen, like many others, offered a limited range of food.

But after consulting with students, Toi Te Ora and a dietitian, the school has revamped its menu.

Its canteen offers hot, healthy lunches for students, many of whom arrive shortly after 8am due to early bus timetables and stay after school for sports or drama practices.

Hot lunches are $5 and are ordered at morning interval.

The menu includes roasts, chicken stirfry, steak, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, oven-baked fish and grilled, low-fat sausages.

All dishes are served with either vegetables or salad.

Breakfast and hot Milo is available as well as a snack menu, which includes nachos for $1.50 and new "healthy-option" pies. Low-sugar drinks and water replace fizzy and energy drinks and students sit down to eat in a cafe-like setting.

One in five students, on average, used the old canteen but since the new menu was phased in last month, more students have chosen to buy their lunch.

On cold days, the canteen sells between 30 and 50 cups of Milo for 50c each. One day students ordered more than 100 nachos but the canteen now puts out just 50 nachos, encouraging students to try a variety of food.

The school's community liaison officer, Irene Nottage, said it was important to treat students like adults so they also use real plates, glasses and cutlery, instead of plastic ones.

Wanting to stay environmentally friendly, food scraps are given to the science department for composting and experiments.

A requirement of the council grant was that the kitchen employed local people and benefited the community.

Three Reporoa women, including canteen manager Jacqueline Whitacker, are now running the canteen and preparing food.

Complete with catering and dining facilities, it will also be available for community events.

The school has been given $1000 from Unilever Food Solutions to pay for start-up costs, such as meal ingredients.

However, the canteen will be self-sufficient, using cash sales to cover costs.

Any profit will go straight back into the canteen.

The new healthy food campaign also has the support of the local dairy, Reporoa Foodmarket, which has agreed not to sell fizzy or energy drinks to students during the school day.

"Reporoa College is at the heart of the community so we always consider the community's needs - it's very much a shared campus," Mrs Winters said.

Year 7 students Brittani Clayton and Daniel Fiveash are among those students impressed with the healthy new menu.

"I have a banana and Milo from there before netball training and I'm looking forward to trying the chicken dishes and roasts," said Brittani. "You can buy a lot for just $3."