Latest news with #CancerCouncilVictoria
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Schools in Victoria and Melbourne caught flouting bans on sugary, unhealthy snacks like lollies and chocolate
In NSW, where a healthy eating policy is mandatory in all government schools, 95 per cent of schools met the policy criteria in 2021-2022. Among the policy requirements is that everyday foods such as salad rolls, sushi and fruit make up at least 75 per cent of menu items. At Rowville Primary School, shepherd's pies, crisps and Grain Waves have been removed from the menu and replaced with healthy options such as feta and zucchini muffins, tomato soup, date bliss balls and cut fruit and vegetables. Canteen managers Marnie Neal and Cindy Gardiner run the not-for-profit canteen in-house and said students had embraced the change. 'We find a lot of children actually like the salad sandwiches,' Gardiner said. 'I've been here nine years, and we probably only did one a week when I started, and now we would do up to 10.' Parent Sally Wighton said her children, Finley, 9, and Edith, 7, had a lunch order once a week; a salad sandwich or toasted tuna and mayonnaise were the go-to orders. 'I think it's fantastic that there are better choices available and that they are learning about healthy eating as well,' Wighton said. The school uses the Qkr! app to order and pay for canteen lunch orders. The Cancer Council Victoria study was based on sales data from the My School Connect app used by 29 Victorian primary schools, including 17 government and 12 independent schools, during 2022. Loading The food and drinks sold in canteens were organised according to their nutritional value: 'every day' foods such as salad rolls and sushi, 'select carefully' foods such as chicken schnitzel rolls and hot dogs, 'occasional' foods such as pies and doughnuts, and 'never' foods such as confectionary. More than half (54 per cent) of all canteen sales were for food and drinks rated 'select carefully' and almost one in five (19 per cent) sales were for 'occasional' items. The three most popular canteen meals ordered to eat at school for lunch were hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pies and hot pastries. The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on July 25, identified the most frequently purchased drinks were fruit juices, flavoured milk and fruit drinks or cordial. Government schools are required to comply with department policies regardless of whether they use an external canteen provider or run the canteen in-house. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin said canteen providers that continued to breach regulations should face sanctions, including not having their contracts renewed. 'There needs to be mechanisms where business is lost if they don't follow the rules,' he said. 'If businesses can see the adverse effects to breaking the rules, then they'll more likely follow the rules. 'Healthy tucker for our kids shouldn't be negotiable. It should be a given.' Loading An Education Department spokesperson said government schools made decisions about food service providers based on their needs, including whether to operate a school canteen. 'Canteens are expected to provide services that support a healthy school environment so that students can make nutritious food choices,' the spokesperson said. Start the day with a summary of the day's most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
The Age
6 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Chocolate and lollies are meant to be banned from school canteens. But their sales are as strong as ever
In NSW, where a healthy eating policy is mandatory in all government schools, 95 per cent of schools met the policy criteria in 2021-2022. Among the policy requirements is that everyday foods such as salad rolls, sushi and fruit make up at least 75 per cent of menu items. At Rowville Primary School, shepherd's pies, crisps and Grain Waves have been removed from the menu and replaced with healthy options such as feta and zucchini muffins, tomato soup, date bliss balls and cut fruit and vegetables. Canteen managers Marnie Neal and Cindy Gardiner run the not-for-profit canteen in-house and said students had embraced the change. 'We find a lot of children actually like the salad sandwiches,' Gardiner said. 'I've been here nine years, and we probably only did one a week when I started, and now we would do up to 10.' Parent Sally Wighton said her children, Finley, 9, and Edith, 7, had a lunch order once a week; a salad sandwich or toasted tuna and mayonnaise were the go-to orders. 'I think it's fantastic that there are better choices available and that they are learning about healthy eating as well,' Wighton said. The school uses the Qkr! app to order and pay for canteen lunch orders. The Cancer Council Victoria study was based on sales data from the My School Connect app used by 29 Victorian primary schools, including 17 government and 12 independent schools, during 2022. Loading The food and drinks sold in canteens were organised according to their nutritional value: 'every day' foods such as salad rolls and sushi, 'select carefully' foods such as chicken schnitzel rolls and hot dogs, 'occasional' foods such as pies and doughnuts, and 'never' foods such as confectionary. More than half (54 per cent) of all canteen sales were for food and drinks rated 'select carefully' and almost one in five (19 per cent) sales were for 'occasional' items. The three most popular canteen meals ordered to eat at school for lunch were hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pies and hot pastries. The study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health on July 25, identified the most frequently purchased drinks were fruit juices, flavoured milk and fruit drinks or cordial. Government schools are required to comply with department policies regardless of whether they use an external canteen provider or run the canteen in-house. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin said canteen providers that continued to breach regulations should face sanctions, including not having their contracts renewed. 'There needs to be mechanisms where business is lost if they don't follow the rules,' he said. 'If businesses can see the adverse effects to breaking the rules, then they'll more likely follow the rules. 'Healthy tucker for our kids shouldn't be negotiable. It should be a given.' Loading An Education Department spokesperson said government schools made decisions about food service providers based on their needs, including whether to operate a school canteen. 'Canteens are expected to provide services that support a healthy school environment so that students can make nutritious food choices,' the spokesperson said.
NDTV
02-08-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Just One Diet Soda a Day May Spike Your Diabetes Risk by 38%: Study
A new Australian study has found that drinking just one can of diet soda a day may raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38%. The study shows that the risk from artificially sweetened soft drinks is even greater than that from regular sugary drinks, which were linked to a 23% higher risk. Researchers from Monash University, RMIT University, and the Cancer Council Victoria tracked over 36,000 Australian adults for nearly 14 years. The study was led by Distinguished Professor Barbora de Courten, Associate Professor Allison Hodge, and PhD student Robel Hussen Kabthymer. Published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism, the findings raise new concerns about the health effects of both sugar-sweetened and diet drinks. The research adds to growing global evidence that artificially sweetened beverages are not a safe alternative to sugary drinks. "Drinking one or more of these beverages each day, whether sweetened with sugar or artificial substitutes, was linked to a significantly higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes," said Mr. Hussen Kabthymer. Professor de Courten, senior author of the study, said the findings challenge the common assumption that artificially sweetened beverages are a safer choice. "Artificial sweeteners are often recommended to people at risk of diabetes as a healthier alternative, but our results suggest they may pose their own health risks," she said. While the link between sugary drinks and diabetes could largely be explained by obesity, the connection between artificially sweetened drinks and type 2 diabetes remained strong even after adjusting for body weight, suggesting a potentially direct effect on metabolism. Professor de Courten said the findings have important implications for public health policy. "We support measures like sugary drink taxes, but our study shows we also need to pay attention to artificially sweetened options. These are often marketed as better for you, yet may carry their own risks. Future policies should take a broader approach to reducing intake of all non-nutritive beverages." The study analysed data from the long-running Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, also known as Health 2020, involving participants aged 40-69 years, and adjusted for diet, exercise, education, and health history. Type 2 diabetes affects around 1.3 million Australians and more than 500 million people worldwide, with the vast majority of cases linked to diet and lifestyle.
