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?

i don't see the problem with it, my DS1 gets canteen money as the occasional treat and is allowed to buy what he wants with it, often iceblocks etc.

for his lunch orders i order those so he has no control at school over it.

i would say never giving her canteen money has probably made it all the more enticing/exciting for her... forbidden fruit and all that jazz.

The problem is other kids are buying her things which means she is getting at least 3 slushies a week which I don't think is appropriate for a 5 year old, and there is nothimg I can do to stop it. As a parent I should be able to ensure my child as a healthy diet.

you could request that the canteen doesn't sell bulk amounts to small children, but it would be hard for the canteen ladies to track multiple purchases or having her friends give her money to buy it...

our slushies/fruit boxes/flavored milks are all quite expensive at >$1.50 so not many kids would come with enough to buy other kids stuff... the ice blocks however are about 50c etc...

i guess the other thing would be to teach her not to accept food/drink etc from other children but again not sure how effective it would be.

I think (without knowing your DD!) that you might have more success with talking to her about it. It's hard whenever you're faced with "but everyone else is getting one!", but it's never too early to talk about peer pressure. Explain to her why you don't want her having them, then offer her an alternative that you're happy to pay for that she can have when her friends are having the crap. She can pretend that she likes orange juice better (or whatever your alternative is) then everyone is happy.

I think if you were to write to the principal that you'd be wasting your time. One complaint out of however many parents is nothing, and things aren't added to the menu without consultation anyway. I doubt you're going to get any success from the principal, hence why I'd be going the peer pressure route with your DD.

I don't have an issue with it. They are hardly going to stop selling things that other children are allowed to have just because your DD isn't allowed to have them. It is up to you to teach your DD that she is not to accept these things if others buy them for her. Or speak the the teacher who can have a class talk with all the children about not buying for other people.

ETA- by writing a letter of complaint in regards to what you don't want them to sell at the canteen (you are basicically asking them to remove items that you deem inappropriate), you are effectively telling other people what they can and can't feed their children.

Lol, your daughter is probably stoked to have friends to buy her forbidden treats!

Can you call the parents of the kids with money? They probably have no idea they're funding your daughter's slushy habit! Just a polite, FYI conversation, not a guns-blazing accusatory one.

I'd probably start with the school teacher, though - he/ she could have a class talk about not buying friends food from the canteen.

No idea what I'd do either, but I would be bloody furious! Hmm, could you let the parents of the other kids know that their kids are spending money buying slushies for your child? Maybe they wouldn't be so happy about their money being spent on someone elses's kid. It's a tricky one for sure!

Unfortunately I have talked to my DD about it to no avail. I guess its because she is only 5 years old and doesn't have that sort of self control yet. I have even caught her dipping into my wallet to find and hide $2, and I know other parents are having a similar problem. I believe sugary drinks are particularly unhealthy, even fruit juice since it has so much sugar in it. I would actually prefer her to be given a lollipop because it has way less sugar than fruit juice.

Your list of items all sound like they would either be on the green or amber list of foods actually. I don't know what state you're in, but there are quite strict guidelines about foods sold in canteens in most states.

You control what your child buys, not the school and if your daughter is hiding money, that is your problem to sort out IMO. I also think you need to talk to her about accepting things from friends and the appropriateness of that.

I guess this is a good idea. I will have a word with the teacher first and then approach individual parents if need be. I just can't understand why a canteen needs to sell sugary drinks to little kids. If parents want to send in treats for their kids they can.

She is only 5!

ETA - other parents are also complaining about the same thing. Their children hunting for $2 coins and being bought stuff from others.

hi - I totally understand, OP. A slushy drink is a ridiculous thing for a 5 year old to be having- especially at school when they're then expected to concentrate. I'd be lodging a complaint with the school... our canteen has just changed from a relatively healthy one to a totally healthy one- has now got rid of all junk foods. I'm thrilled and will certainly start using the canteen more regularly!
I don't know how canteens can justify selling the crap they do- it certainly goes against the healthy eating messages teachers are trying to instill in kids...
Good luck!

Are you sure she's not asking the other kids to buy her stuff? Or hassling them until they do? Is she usually very "junk food" motivated?

Children taking money from their parents wallets is not the schools problem. What the canteen sells and the temptation to buy it, thus resulting in children taking money, is for the parents to deal with. The canteen food list is not at fault for the child taking money.

Uh huh, I know she's only 5, use language appropriate for her age. Eg, You mustn't take money from mummy's purse without asking, you mustn't hide it, please don't take things that your friends buy for you, their mums and dads given them that money for them, not for you. I have a 5 year old, he could understand that, and so could my other children at that age. Make your expectations clear, repeatedly if necessary.

And a chat to the teacher is a good idea because he/she can address it with the whole class - usually schools have strict guidelines on buying things for other kids and/or sharing food due to allergy issues etc, so I would be surprised if this hadn't been discussed with them in age-appropriate ways already.

What sort of slushies are they, just out of interest? I know you can buy fizzy drinks/slushies that meet canteen requirements. We don't have slushies at our school, but we do have LOL's which meet the canteen requirements for sugar etc, so the Slushies might not be as bad as you think. If you are really concerned then I would actually go to the P&C as usually they are in control of what's on the canteen menu.

I don't know if she's asking - but it does seem to be happening with the other kids. So maybe someone started it and others are copying. I don't think she would hassle others, it wouldn't be like her to do that. She is not usually junk food motivate at all - this problem has only started since she started school and is directly because of the canteen.

I remember being quite shocked at what was deemed to be ok for a school canteen. Green light amber light my a*se, it was all rubbish in my book.
It did prompt many conversations with ds. I casually chatted to the teacher about going to canteen as a kindy kid and logistics etc as they didn't have a lot of time.. Anyway, she said that she activly discouraged the kids from going to the canteen, obviously she can't force them not to but tried to talk them out of it, parents as well. Might be worth a word to the teacher. I'd also be calling her friends parents and telling them not to buy your dd treats.
That's a lot of canteen food per week for a kindy kid. I'd be cranky as well.

Actually she is an intelligent 5 year old and her problem isn't understanding what I am saying. She doesn't yet have the self control to say no thank you to junk food and sweet drinks when someone is offering it to her. Especially as sugar is addictive - and I can imagine the rush of sugar a 5 year old would get from a slushy!

ETA - and yes I have told her she isn't to take money out my purse and she hasn't tried that again, but it still doesn't solve the problem.

Speak to your DDs teacher. They can then have a group discussion about not taking money from others and sharing foods.

Wrt your DD taking money from your purse, you need to either keep it out of her reach, don't keep change AND talk to your child about taking things that don't belong to them. 5 is not too young to learn this.

I wouldn't complain to the school because your child asking other children for money or accepting money from other children is something you need to discuss with your child. Speak with the school and they can talk to all children about sharing money.

I know your DD is only 5 and it can be difficult but not impossible to stop her from asking for or accepting money. You could give her canteen money on a regular basis and she might stop searching for money.

I would take it up with the school. Its not appropriate for kindy children to be buying each other stuff from the canteen and the school can flag it as an issue in the newsletter, and make all the teachers aware of it happening, not just the kindy teachers. If it continues, then they may need to address it by limiting the younger children's access to the canteen. Our kindy and pre-primary children are only allowed to have lunch orders, not to go to the canteen and buy things themselves.

The other thing you could do is ask the school to consider a 'ban' on FYOS actually buying directly from the canteen, our school does this. They. An only get items via lunch order, not at the counter IYKWIM.

Self control is tough I guess, I would speak to the teacher about that aspect.

Oh but I am sure that your school has a healthy eating policy, such as the traffic light systems. LOL and the like full of fruit juice....whats wrong with that!?! 282 filled bread, topped with plastic cheese !?!

I hate the school canteen with a passion and their claims that they promote healthy eating. LOLs in our school canteen get a green light, sugar filled 'fruit drink' carbonated, great for their teeth, not to mention their overall health.

My advice to you OP is to find something on the menu which you are happy enough for your child to have and let her have that as a treat....better if you can order it.

This is what the parents/teachers association (or parents and friends or whatever it's called at your school) is for. I know of many many many schools where canteen food - particularly the healthiness of as well as policies regarding selling what and how much to whom - has been brought up at the association and been a catalyst for a complete overhaul of the canteen to make it much healthier. You're a parent, this is your avenue.

Of course, it will take a lot of work but there is lots of evidence and case studies available of how this has been done. Also, if not enough other parents agree with you then you'll have to suck it up. But it is the best way for you to go, in my opinion.

I guess you are all saying I should control my DD. Here is the issue. She is always after $2 for the canteen, she begs me for $2 for the canteen each morning (but I say no usually - at first I was happy to have the occasional treat but things got out of control with the other kids buying her things). Every lunch time she will see kids from her class going to the canteen and having ice blocks or slushies, and she is only 5 and that will make her want one two.

Why should there be a canteen creating this situation every single day she is at school. School is supposed to be a place where children can learn and be in a safe healthy environment. Its not like the swimming pool canteen - she isn't at the pool every day of the week. Even adults struggle to resist sugary treats if they have say a soft drink or chocolate bar dispensar in the workplace staring at them everyday,.

It is perfectly feasible for a school to run a canteen with much healthier options, both the primary and secondary school our children went to had 'healthy' options and very little absolute junk! All the drinks they sold were sugar free.
I don't believe that there should be a total ban on all things sweet, for many children it is just a very occasional treat.

OP I'd be writing to the school and perhaps asking if you can present your concerns to the school council?
TBH, I thinking selling slushies at primary school is ridiculous!

Well your avenue is to take it up with the P&C and advocate for change if you feel that strongly about it.

I am not sure that I lay all the blame at the feet of the school canteen though, children do have to learn self-control and seems to be the time where your daughter has to learn it.

Perhaps if you told her that once a fortnight she could have canteen money that might help?

I'd like to know what sort of slushies they are.

this I would have a problem with and I would actually start with your childs teacher/grade coordinator. Sharing any food at our school is frowned upon, so this would be taken very seriously.

As for sugary drinks and foods being available, I have not too much problem with. I control when my kids get money for the canteen (seldom), ergo I control their "treats". Kids are going to be surrounded by unhealthy choices in life and it is our job as parents to help educate them in making appropriate choices. It is never too young. This is the approach we have taken with our kids and they were always the toddlers at the parties who chose a cupcake, fruit and sandwiches for their plates. They enjoy junk, but certainly know when enough is enough.

But the school canteen is to blame. How can little children resist a slushie? Sure I can give her a talk and she can agree to a fortnightly treat, but when a friend offers to buy her something she will not be able to resist it in the moment - and then later when she sees me she will feel guilty. Why can't the school canteen be healthy?

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.

OP - Our teacher spoke to us about this thing in the parent info night start of year. It is the schools responsibility to supervise students at school, and control this behaviour. I would definately be bringing this to the attention of the class teacher, if you get no joy there, take it to deputy/principal.

I agree with pp, those items are probably allowed under the red, green, amber (Smart Choices in QLD) system. I have my head right around this (thank to a previous sh*te convenor) and the more I learn of it and how it's implented, the crankier I get. That (in QLD at least) it is endorsed by the National Dieticians association makes me even crankier. Add that to my own journey of reducing preservatives and additives, and I think there's something wrong going on. I'd be interested to know a) funding/financial interests of those involved in developing the policy and b) the strengh of academic support for reducing preservatives and additives. Until such time as someone with the right knowledge and resources contests the policy, though, tuckshops have to comply with it as it is mandatory, at least in QLD.

So you would punish those who get it as an occasional treat(especially on hot days) just so you can make sure your DD doesn't have it.

Have you asked the canteen exactly what is in the slushies etc.?

Also, the only milk some kids get is a chocolate milk at school. I know some kids at a school a friend is councellor at, only ever got lunch when she provided it. Every week with her shopping she would buy apples, extra bread and stuff for sandwiches so she could feed them. The school didn't have a canteen and some parents never realised it(no involvment)and would send the kids to school with money.

So I would rather a canteen with some not so great but not really bad foods, than no canteen at all.

Again, your avenue to deal with menu items is to take it to the P&C. Complaining about it on EB isn't going to change anything. And I really do not think that the school canteen is at fault for your daughter not being able to say no/resist her friends. Children have to learn to make the right choices. Frankly, I'd be more annoyed with my daughter for taking things from her friends all the time rather than what was being taken. And if it's not the canteen, what about when her friend has something forbidden in her lunch box and shares it? It's the same concept really, I'm sorry OP, but I do think this is a lesson your daughter needs to learn.

And please, what sort of slushies are they?

Damn, my kids must be abnormal then as they know that 1. they are not allowed to share food at school and 2. if they wanted a sluchie, then they have to ask for money to get one. Although my 2 yr old wouldn't quite get it yet my 6 and 8 yr olds would.

Our school canteen doesn't make a profit (or only a very modest one, which is kept to cover repairs etc throughout the year), we are not under pressure to make our school canteen profitable at all, in fact there have been times in the past where P&C have had to put funds into the canteen to keep it going, we run it as a service to the school community.

I disagree. DS1 has had a no sharing rule at school since kindy and he KNOWS not to share food at school. DS2 is in kindy this year, and he already knows that there is no sharing food at school. From what you've said, the problem is not actually the canteen. And considering the number of children with allergies and things these days, no sharing food is not a nice-to-have policy, it's an important policy that the school should be enforcing without exception.

R

No, it is not the school canteens fault. There are plenty of children out there who can say no because their parents have been very clear about it.

My primary school canteen in the 1970's/80's was way healthier than they are now. The sweetest thing you could buy was a tiny pack of carob buds. The pies and sausage rolls are still the same Fluro yellow ones you get these days though.

I think you have a couple of issues here.

1. Food sold at the canteen. Before you start jumping up about how unhealthy they are, you might want to actually check with the canteen as to what sort of iceblocks/slushies etc are being sold. Is the chocolate milk low fat? What is used in the slushies? I personally don't have a problem with a child have a popper drink.
If you want to take out milk, fruit juice and slushies, what is the canteen going to actually sell as drinks?
If you DO want different items sold at the canteen, and others removed, you need to volunteer, get involved, be part of the canteen committee.
If you just write a complaint, without trying to be part of the solution, I wouldn't be expecting a big response.

2. kinder kids buying for each other. I do think this one is a problem. Talk to the teachers (not the principal, start with the teacher). Mention your concerns about the kids buying for each other. It fits in with the policy of kids not sharing food, so I would expecting the teacher to talk to the kids about not buying for each other. The school could also possible request parents don't send so much money - slushies at our school are $2. A child with enough money to buy both themselves and their friends a slushie has too much money.

3. self control for your daughter. There are a lot of kids at schools. A lot of kids use the canteen on different days. Your daughter needs to learn that those sorts of things are not an everyday thing. Why should use of the canteen be restricted because of one child?
My 5 yr old is perfectly capable of telling me that some things are "sometimes" foods, and following through on it. She also understands that Mummy cannot afford/does not want to give money for canteen every day.
We have gone through the taking money with my oldest when she was in yr1. I understand that it is hard, but when she was caught doing it, she lost priviledges, including getting given money for school, and had to earn it back.

I also like the fact the canteen is teaching her about the value of money.
I might give her $1.50 or $2. I point out that this could buy 1 slushie. And that will be it for the entire week. Or she could buy something less expensive and have some money left for the next day. I find most of the time, she buys these tiny water iceblocks for 10c, or some watermelon for 20c or a frozen fruit cup etc.

This is exactly how I feel about our school canteen. They pat themselves on the back for having a 'healthy' menu and it is filled with items that I consider treat foods or at the very best reasonable food that on it's own does not constitute a balanced diet eg ham and pineapple pizza. If I want my child to have pizza I want it loaded with veges and healthy toppings, not processed ham, tinned pineapple and high fat cheese.

Anyway, I pack DDs lunch myself and allow her canteen money once a week to buy a treat. She would never hear the end of it if she stole money from me. And they have a no food sharing policy with food at our school so her friends can't buy her anything (and they don't).

I hardly think I am punishing anyone - maybe saving the from fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Their parents want they could send them with a bottle of frozen water on a cold day (or gosh the canteen could sell frozen water!), or their parents can send them in with a bottle of frozen juice if they are happy for their kids to drink sugar.

Speak to the teacher about reminding children not to share. Then find out who runs the canteen - it's not the teaching staff but usually a parent group. It is most often run through the P&C/Governing Council/Parents & Friends. Canteens are most often there at the request/desire of the school community.

The thing is, given the guidelines, the school canteen would be considered healthy ...

Is your DD telling you she's having slushies multiple times a week or is this from another source?

Ok well first course of action is to approach her teacher and school about no food sharing and no buying sftuff for others from the canteen.

Obviously I must be lacking in parenting skills or my DD is a cretan, giving how perfectly self-controlled some PPs children are. The government and media are so quick to blame parents for the escalating obesity rates in Australian children and instances of type II diabetes - but I have no problems at home, just at school. One previous poster said it is the schools job to control the children when on their premises and I fully agree- so the school should control the situation so my DD doesn't have access to food her parents don't want her eating. I can talk to her all I want but at the end of the day I can't remotely control her, and all children have different personalities, my DD is very stubborn and independent, maybe PPs children aren't.

I can't even get the school to help me get my son to eat his lunch.. Let alone monitor what other kids are upto.. Good luck with that..

Lol - since when is a canteen slushie deadly?
They are usually a cup of grated ice with a splash of fruit juice.


sure, sure - you keep on your little crusade & save those poor children getting a treat at school.

I am a fan of healthy eating, it is important to me. My kids school does not have a canteen they do a lunch order system once a week on rotating basis, bbq, chicken schnitzel roll, etc and I let my daughter have it once every three or so weeks (she only really likes the bbq). I think kids (including mine) eat far too much crap and dh and I often disagree on how often treats like juice should be allowed. I think an ice cold bottle of water is lovely but I do think your attitude towards this is a little over the top. This is a problem yes but I don't think that it is simply the canteens fault. I get it I have a little girl who goes crazy over the idea of slushies and is stubborn and likely to do things behind my back and its not that she never gets junk she does, I do give her treats far too often and then theirs DH who is even more lax abotu stuff like that and of course Grandma... etc.

However I do not think that you can just blame the canteen and if your having a canteen I think they shoule be allowed to sell soemthing besides frozen water. I might not want my daughter having juice or flavoured milk every day but I do think they should be allowed to sell it. What are the slushies made off, ice with a little juice flavouring etc imo wouldn't be too bad as "treats"go. I get that she is five but I really do think you need to sit your daughter down and have a serious talk iwth her, and then talk with her again and again and again. This is the time to help her develop self control and an understanding of not taking money, yet it might take awhile but to me thats the most important thing. I would also talk to the teacher about kids sharing food and I would campaign for a healthier canteen if I thought it was unhealthy. I think these things are important but ultimately you have to work with your little girl, the other food will be there every day at school in the toher kids lunch boxes etc. I do agree with limiting removing access of junk food to kids ie if its not there they can't eat it and I would prefer it wasn't in there faces every day at school but you cannot control the external world like that (as much as I might like too lol) You can influence and I would certainly be politely trying to do that by getting as involved as possible (although I am glad I don't have too as I would hate it and struggle to find the time) and by talking to the teacher. I would not be going in and saying it is the canteens fault because ultimately I don't think it is that simple.

All of that.

Get involved. Get on the P&F committee and have some input into what is happening at school. Going straight to the principal for a tuck shop issue seems a little dramatic to me.

Some kids just have these treats once per week. Just because you don't think kids should ever have them doesn't mean their choice should be taken away.