Shock at school canteen menu from 1974 over cheap prices

A NSW school canteen menu from the ’70s is being shared across social media, with people in disbelief at the type of foods they used to sell.

A NSW school canteen menu from the ’70s is being shared across social media, with today’s schools likely banned from selling the majority of the items of the list.

Kevin Hayes posted a photo of the old Berala school canteen menu to Facebook this week and it has attracted a lot of attention, with people commenting on how different it is to menus today.

There were a lot more sweet items on offer for kids back in 1974, including doughnuts, cakes, finger buns, custard tarts, chocolate eclairs, Wagon Wheels and apple pies.

This 1974 canteen list is blowing people's minds.

Another thing people noticed was just how cheap everything used to be.

A large meat pie only cost 20 cents, a sausage roll was 12 cents, a Vegemite sandwich was just 11 cents and if you only wanted butter and bread it was just 8 cents.

Plain chips were 12 cents, an icy pole was 3 cents and an orange juice would set you back just 10 cents.

Social media users took to the comment section to reminisce about what they used to order.

“Wow, most of those items would not be allowed to be sold or even consumed in schools these days,” one person said.

“Baked bean sandwich — oh my god! And what kid would have ever eaten a salmon sandwich by choice,” another wrote.

They need to bring back 12 cent pies.

One added: “Space food sticks now there’s a blast from past.”

“Devon and tomato sauce sandwiches (on white bread of course … there was never any option). Loved ‘em,” another person wrote.

Others recalled how the food orders would arrive in brown paper bags and be delivered to their classrooms in a laundry basket.

It was certainly very different to the food standards that are expected in schools today, with even the lunches parents pack being scrutinised.

Last year a Melbourne mother was left furious after her child’s school shamed her for putting a lamington in their lunch box.

The mum claimed the school didn’t let her child finish her lunch because it didn’t comply with the school’s nutrition standards.

The note, which was sent home with the child along with the uneaten lamington, asked that the slice would not be included in future.