National Healthy School Canteens
Guidelines for healthy foods and drinks supplied in school canteens
The Australian Guide to Health Eating is the national Australian food selection guide. The guide is consistent with the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines and visually represents the recommended proportion for consumption from each of the five food groups each day. Following a dietary pattern in these recommended proportions will provide enough of the nutrients essential for good health.
What are the five food groups?
Five Food Groups | Major foods in this group |
---|---|
Vegetables – different types and colours, and legume/ beans |
|
Fruit |
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Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high in fibre |
|
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans |
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Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat |
|
Discretionary foods and drinks
Some foods and drinks do not appear in the table above. The 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines refers to them as ‘Discretionary’. Discretionary choices are called that because they are not an essential or necessary part of healthy dietary patterns. Discretionary foods are high in kilojoules, saturated fat, added sugars, added salt, or alcohol. If chosen, they should be eaten only sometimes and in small amounts.For younger children (up to about 8 years of age), discretionary choices are best avoided or limited to no more than ½ serve a day unless the child is taller or more active, in which case they could have 0-2 serves a day. Older children and adolescents who are more active and not above their healthy weight range could have up to 2 ½ serves a day, and older adolescents up to 3 serves a day.
A sample Discretionary serve could be: 2 scoops (75g) ice-cream, 1 (40g) doughnut, 1 can soft drink, ½ small bar (25g) chocolate, 12 (60g) fried hot chips, ¼ meat pie or pastie (full pie = 4 serves).
How many serves do children need?
How many serves of each of the five food groups a child needs each day will depend on their size, physical activity levels, stage of growth and whether they are male or female. The following table gives a guide for most healthy children to achieve their recommended minimum daily nutrient intake.Additional serves of the five food groups or unsaturated spreads and oils or discretionary choices are needed only by children and adolescent who are taller, more active or in the higher end of a particular age band, to meet additional energy requirements.
Food Groups | Number Of Serves for Boys of age groups (4 – 8 years) | Number Of Serves for Boys of age groups (9 – 11 years) | Number Of Serves for Boys of age groups (12 – 13 years) | Number Of Serves for Boys of age groups (14 – 18 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vegetables | 4 ½ | 5 | 5 ½ | 5 ½ |
Fruit | 1 ½ | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Grain (cereal) | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Lean meats and alternatives | 1 ½ | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | 2 ½ |
Dairy and alternatives | 2 | 2 ½ | 3 ½ | 3 ½ |
Food Groups | Number Of Serves for Girls of age groups (4 – 8 years) | Number Of Serves for Girls of age groups (9 – 11 years) | Number Of Serves for Girls of age groups (12 – 13 years) | Number Of Serves for Girls of age groups (14 – 18 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vegetables | 4 ½ | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Fruit | 1 ½ | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Grain (cereal) | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
Lean meats and alternatives | 1 ½ | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | 2 ½ |
Dairy and alternatives | 1 ½ | 3 | 3 ½ | 3 ½ |
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating
How much is a serve?
Food Groups | Serve Size |
---|---|
Vegetables – different types and colours, and legume/ beans |
|
Fruit |
|
Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high in fibre |
|
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans |
|
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/ or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat |
|
Healthy kids need healthy canteens!
Always on the Canteen Menu
Encourage and promote these foods and drinks. These foods and drinks:
- are the best choices for a healthy school canteen
- should be available every day and be the main choices on the canteen menu
- contain a wide range of nutrients
- are generally low in saturated fat and/or sugar and/or sodium (salt).
Select Carefully
Do not let these foods and drinks take over the menu and keep serve sizes small. These foods and drinks:- contain some valuable nutrients
- contain moderate amounts of saturated
- fat and/or sugar and/or sodium (salt)
- if eaten in large amounts, may increase the amount of energy (kilojoules) being consumed.
Not Recommended on the Canteen Menu
These foods and drinks should not be sold in a healthy school canteen. These foods and drinks:- may contain excess energy (kilojoules) and/or
- saturated fat and/or sodium (salt) and/or sugarare low in nutritional value.