Food skills for Tasmanian schoolkids to focus on nutrition in obesity fight

FOOD  and nutrition education would become compulsory for all Tasmanian school students under a plan to combat obesity.

Moonah Primary students Bradley Measday 11, left, Darcy Dare 11 and Jayden Kearney 10 in the school veggie patch. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

FOOD  and nutrition education would become compulsory for all Tasmanian school students under a plan to combat obesity.

As well as making nutrition an essential subject in the school curriculum, the Tasmanian School Canteen Association is urging a ban on junk food sales at schools and more vegetable gardens.

The association wants former MasterChef celebrity Ben Milbourne, who is a School Canteen Association patron, to become a key driver in the delivery of a schools’ nutrition program.

Tasmanian celebrity chief and former teacher Ben Milbourne.

Under the plan, former teacher Milbourne could help deliver a course along the lines of Jamie Oliver’s cooking skills program.

In its submission to the Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategy discussion paper, the Canteen Association says the “daunting” statistics of obesity in Tasmania can be addressed by educating children — who can take their lessons home to families.

“Ben Milbourne would be an excellent candidate to be the deliverer of this program,” the submission says. “This would deliver basic cooking skills, using local produce and a love of food”.

Milbourne said that he was passionate about nutrition and had seen the consequences of bad diets in many classrooms.

“There has been too many times where I have endeavoured to teach children who are inattentive, fatigued and withdrawn, all signs of poor nutrition,” Milbourne said.

“I would love to see schools educate students in kitchens more.”

The Canteen Association’s submission encourages all school canteens to undertake an accreditation program to ensure only healthy options are sold — resulting in no “red” classified items on menus.

Association executive officer Julie Dunbabin said only about half of school canteens were “on the right track”. Of the state’s 215 schools with canteens, 53 have received their Canteen Association “gold status” accreditation and a further 53 are working towards it.

Gold status schools offer no “red” classified items high in fat, salt and sugar and low in fibre.

The Canteen Association has been working with other health and nutrition organisations to transform school canteens in Tasmania — delivering healthy options and freshly-made produce from school produce gardens.

The submission says the schools involved were nurturing children with a “love of growing, harvesting, cooking and enjoying nutritious food while at school.

“These skills and enjoyment are then shared with the rest of the family and help to create a shift in food consumption and food literacy.”

Ms Dunbabin said that a comprehensive subject on nut­rition was not delivered evenly across the school system.

She said many primary schools offered “snippets” of information and most colleges offered nutrition as an elective, although it was not taken up by many students.

“A lot of kids are not aware of how much fat, sugar and salt is put into processed foods,” she said.

Only 14 per cent of Tasmanian children eat the required serves of vegetables a day.

Moonah Primary School has a “gold status” healthy canteen where healthy food is cooked with food straight from the students’ veggie patch.

“Our students have cooking and gardening classes every week, where they learn a lot about nutrition,” said principal Ange Miezitis

The Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategic Plan — Community Consultation Draft, was released last year. The final plan is expected to be released mid year.