Kaiapoi’s Canteen - Champion of the School Yard

Media Release
7th February 2007

futurefoods 2006 School Canteen of the Year

Winner: Kaiapoi Borough School

Highly Commended: Edendale Primary School
Hawera Intermediate School
Mt Maunganui Intermediate
St Margaret’s College
Waimea College

Kaiapoi’s Canteen - Champion of the School Yard

The team that run the Kaiapoi Borough School Canteen are full of initiatives and very motivated to make the school canteen the best it can be. This is why judges awarded the top award of 2006 futurefoods School Canteen of the Year to the Kaiapoi Borough School Canteen.

A range of initiatives throughout 2006, developed by canteen staff Victoria Scally, Paula Capstick and Jocelyn Thornton, included a major water promotion with an ipod as the top prize, 5+ a day month, ‘What’s for Lunch’ pamphlets and information packs for new families. These activities helped the canteen communicate the healthy eating message to the schools 590 young students and the wider school community. The school’s website also includes a health promoting page.

Students are involved in the canteen by working alongside parent helpers in the canteen, collecting and delivering lunch orders, taste testing and completing surveys about possible additions to the menu.

The canteen has worked hard to develop a menu with a good variety of interesting healthy choices. In 2006 lettuce and pasta salads were introduced to the menu and wholegrain and wholemeal bread was used more. In 2007 white bread will be withdrawn. The menu is continuously modified to enhance healthy eating options and to keep it interesting.

Popular healthy items at the canteen include garlic splits (made with wholegrain bread), frozen Juicies, Moosies and fruit cups.

The canteen staff and committee always take time to reflect and reassess their short and long term goals, discuss additional healthy food items and the deletion of less healthy items, do research and refocus on the goal of reducing fat, salt and sugar on the canteen’s menu. They also attribute adaptability and perseverance to the success of the school canteen.

Kaiapoi Borough School don’t plan on slowing down in 2007. Their aim is always to do “better than before”, the ultimate goal being to obtain the Heart Foundation Gold Award.

Kaiapoi Borough School set a positive example for other schools throughout New Zealand. They have proven that school canteens can be healthy, profitable and extremely popular.

ENDS

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