Green Party MP Sue Kedgley launched a School Food Campaign in May after a Party survey found most school lunches were loaded with fat and sugar, and were low in nutrients. Supporters are asked to send an e-card to the Associate Minister of Education.
The e-card (an electonic postcard) depicts a school lunch box filled with chippies, pies, sausage rolls, biscuits and soft drink. The caption reads “If you wouldn’t feed your children this why do we let our schools” “Join the School Food Campaign and get unhealthy food and drink out of our schools”.
It asks supporters to send the e-card to the Associate Minister of Education and forward it to friends.
Green Party Press Release: “10 teaspoons of fat 20 of sugar for school lunch”
A recent Green Party survey found much of the food on sale in schools is unhealthy. This has prompted the launch of a School Food campaign to get unhealthy foods out of NZ tuckshops.
Source: Scoop / Green Party Press Release, 6 May 2005
The Green Party School Lunch Survey found that:
98% of schools sell pies, hotdogs, ‘hotbites’ or sausage rolls
72% sell chips – ( in five of 50 schools those were corn chips, and in one wedges)
80% of schools sell cookies / cakes / chocolate / donuts
In 68% of schools the menu does not include fruit
30% have yoghurt on the menu
16% of schools sell muesli bars
24% list water on the menu
In 8% school lunches are only available one day a week.
Source: Green Party website news, 5 May 2005
Dietician Sarah Crawford commented on the on school lunch survey results.
Source: Green Party website news, 6 May 2005
School menus still far from healthy
A Green Party survey finds that the staple school lunch is pies, hot-dogs or sausage rolls and less than a third of school canteens put fruit on the menu.
Source: NZ Herald, 7 May 2005