School Food Trust (SFT)
School Food Trust (SFT)
The Health Education Trust (HET) welcomes a report from the School Food Trust on school foods other than lunch and the clear and comprehensive way it addresses the issues.
Joe Harvey, Director of the HET says, “We are delighted that the report reflects the very high level of commitment given last year by the Secretary of State for Health, Ruth Kelly to radically reform the whole school food service throughout the day.”
The importance of these food standards cannot be underestimated as they underpin the nutrient based standards being introduced for school lunches and“clear the decks” of those foods and drinks which take lots of money from a child but give little or no nutritional benefit in return. Choices there will be - all of them good!
Perhaps the most contentious areas have been around snacking and vending, so it is unsurprising that traditional vending industries have lobbied fiercely to prevent the tough recommendations of the SFT being pursued. It is to the considerable credit of the SFT that it has stayed resolute in its determination to deliver recommendations that give the best chance for school food services to improve the health and welfare of children in the future.
This is also an area where HET has taken the lead in pushing for major reform by managing research programmes for FSA, DH and the Welsh Assembly which have removed the mythology surrounding vending in schools. It is now clear that healthy school vending can be commercially viable and enthusiastically adopted by pupils and staff.
Over the last year many schools have begun to transform their snacking and vending provision and whilst change may not be easy, the benefits are enormous. Schools commitment to put the health of their students first is often accompanied by reports of better performance and improved behaviour. HET looks forward to the outcome of research to formally establish the increasing amount of anecdotal evidence pointing this way!
Within the framework of a whole school approach to food and nutrition first argued for by HET in the early 90's, we are now beginning to see a healthy vending infrastructure appearing. We are delighted with this report and with the SFT and the government in their efforts to ensure a high quality, healthy food service for every child.
But Joe Harvey, Director of HET, stresses, “This opportunity to improve the general health of young people through improved food services and better education is the best we've had for 25 years. You can be absolutely certain that the soft drinks and confectionary industry will not stay silent and so it is essential that all relevant public health organisations use the opportunity of the consultation process to respond positively to these recommendations so that the Government's resolve is strengthened. The major multinationals in snacking and vending are in the business of delivering profits for their companies and dividends to shareholders. Those of us in education and health are in the business of giving children the best possible nutrition for their long term health and wellbeing. It's a simple divide and we must be as active and engaged as they are.”
Health Education Trust on 01234 823025 or kathryn@healthedtrust.com
The HET is the UK registered charity, dedicated to initiating and supporting work with children and young adults to encourage the growth of healthy lifestyles. Operated by independent professionals with expertise in health education, education, nutrition and dietetics, HET strives to provide common sense approaches to government policies and delivers practical and realistic advice and solutions on topical food, health and education issues. HET pioneered the whole school approach and is now leading the way on healthier approaches to school food.
HET established the Real Choice scheme in 2005 as a gold standard for vending practices in schools, to help cut through the confused messages surrounding what is and what is not healthy or suitable for school vending. Real Choice registration for vending operators offers schools the assurance they need that a vending operator will only supply approved products. Manufacturers can also apply for Real Choice registration for specific products deemed suitable for school vending. Schools too can register for Real Choice vending, which will provide them with advice and support to establish their own healthy vending service, where the hard work of determining which products are suitable and which are not is done for them. For more details on this scheme, visit www.healthedtrust.com/pages/realchoice.html
For further information on the HET's research projects into healthy vending visit
FSA & Welsh Assembly drinks vending toolkits on www.healthedtrust.com/pages/Vendingnews1.html
Dept of Health “Food in Schools” food vending toolkit, www.foodinschools.org.uk
