Schools canteen expo highlights healthy options

11 May 2007

Making it easier to get more healthy options on the canteen menu and maintain healthy profits is the focus of the Hunter New England School Canteen Food Expo being held at Newcastle Panthers today and tomorrow (11 and 12 May).

With growing concern about overweight and obesity in children, the Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission, Australian Independent Schools and NSW Health have taken the lead with the Fresh Tastes @ School NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy.

The expo, organised by the Hunter New England Healthy Canteen Taskforce, brings together schools from across the Hunter New England Health region as well as some Central Coast and North Coast schools, to try new and healthy foods for sale in school canteens.

Director of Hunter New England Health’s Good for Kids. Good for Life project Dr Colin Bell said he was looking forward to attending.

“This is the fourth expo in our region and it gets bigger and better each year. We have more than 300 people attending this year, representing 150 schools,” Dr Bell said.

“The expo includes sessions on occupational health and safety, promoting healthy food choices, food safety, kitchen skills and cooking demonstrations - giving the attendees an opportunity for professional development and a chance to network with other canteen managers and volunteers,” he said.

Dr Colin Bell will officially open the expo at the welcome breakfast this morning and leading nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton will give the keynote address at 11am, providing practical ways to increase the amount of healthy foods on the canteen menu.

Event organiser Sharon Lawrence said that research has shown children will eat healthy food when it is available and the expo is really about making healthy foods more available.

The Hunter New England School Canteen Food Expo was organised by the Hunter New England Healthy Canteen Taskforce, which includes representatives from Hunter New England Health, the National Heart Foundation, The Cancer Council of NSW and Coalfields Healthy Heartbeat.

Major sponsors of the expo include Good Tucker Bakery and Thompson’s Pies.

Contact: Shannon Ramadge

Phone: 4939 2216