[tazcan]

DD just started school this year and I have been horrified by the amount of sugary snacks and drinks at her school canteen:
chocolate milk, fruit poppers, slushies, ice-blocks etc etc

I don't hardly ever let her get a lunch order because of this, but her friends buy her ice blocks and slushies quite often. She has started hunting for coins and hiding them to take to school and I know other kindy kids are doing the same thing.

I don't think school canteens should be selling these kinds of things and I don't think kindy kids should be allowed to buy things for each other from the canteen. I would never buy DD (5.5 years) a slushy when out and about so why should she be getting them at school?

I am writing a letter of complaint to the principal about it as well as maybe a copy to the head of the P&C.

Does anyone else have a problem like this with the school canteen, and do you think the principal will take notice of my complaint? Who else could I write to or approach about the matter?

[charlottesmum04]

The problem is actually 3 fold here with the poor tuckshop convenor stuck in the middle.

The government controls the green/amber/red system and what it is. All prepackaged foods are labeled as such making prepackaged foods an easier option for convenors. trying to figure out what a home made food should be classified as is an almost impossible task.

Green/amber/red is actually only controlled over salt/fat/sugar content. I quit when i was being pressured to sell 500ml ice coffee to 5yo's ( low fat so met the requirments ) but i couldnt cook a home made stir fry because of the salt content. It has nothing to do with any other content of the food. chicken nuggets can have only 5% chicken as long as it doesnt have to much fat/salt/sugar in it.


Schools and consequently p & c's demand high income production from tuckshops. They will sell anything they can legally sell as long as they can make a profit on it. Most convenors are under alot of pressure from the bosses to increase their profit on a monthly basis.

and lastly... Most school canteens were set up/built 15-20 years ago. When anything could be served and usually it all was just preheated crap. In our tuckshop i had access to one home size stove/oven, a microwave, and 2 pie heaters. Due to a lack of volunteers it was usually just me trying to prepare food for everyone.

Because of all these things anything i could just order, reheat/store and sell was king. Was i happy about it?? No thats why i quit. But is it reality in most tuckshops/canteens accross australia yes.

I tell you this because i want you to see the reality of what you are up against. Also please dont have a go at the convenor. I cant count the amount of times i had angry parents at me over what the menu had. ( both knowing i was the convenor and in general as a parent whinging about it before they knew i was the convenor ) Its not their fault.