Changes to National Guidelines a good thing

Press Release Date 11 June 2007

Changes to National Guidelines a good thing

The Obesity Action Coalition is very supportive of the changes to the National Administration Guidelines being announced today that will see only healthy food being available for sale at schools.

Leigh Sturgiss, Executive Director, said, “This move is about reinforcing the nutrition lessons children receive in the classroom. Schools need to ensure their students are receiving consistent messages. It seems crazy to tell children soft drinks and pies are not good for them, and then sell them to pupils on a daily basis. What part of the message do the children hear, the one in the classroom at 11.30am or the one in the canteen at 12.30pm?

“The argument from some schools that their pupils will buy energy dense, nutrition poor food from the local diary on their way to school is a cop out,” said Leigh Sturgiss, “Local diaries also sell girly magazines, cigarettes and alcohol, but schools don’t provide those products to their pupils.

“The many schools which have already taken poor quality food out of the school canteen, almost without fail, say the pupils are easier to teach, have better concentration and can complete their school work more successfully.

“As well as regulating what sort of food can be sold to children, we would also support regulations on what sort of food advertising children see on television, on billboards and in the paper,” Leigh Sturgiss said.

ENDS

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