KEY POINTS:
Pupils of an Auckland college yesterday laughed off the Government's ban on daily pie sales at school as they got their supply from a dairy across the road.
Within two minutes of classes ending, Northcote College students surged down Onewa Rd and their hungry hands reached for meat pies, crisps, lollies and soft drinks at College Dairy.
This typical after-school buy-up came a day after the Government announced that from next June, daily sales of unhealthy foods would be banned at state and integrated schools.
They would be allowed only "occasionally" - about four times a year.
Northcote year-9 pupil Hayden Helleur, who said he had brought popcorn from home for lunch, needed energy for rugby practice after school.
The 13-year-old ate from the dairy "maybe twice a week, but only if I've got enough money". Yesterday he had two pies.
Two-pie schoolmate Jason Manuel, 13, was not bothered by the growing restrictions on unhealthy foods at schools.
"I just go up to the Highbury shops."
Senior pupils said their tuckshop had already changed to healthier options such as potato-topped pies and wedges rather than thin hot chips.
College principal Vicki Barrie supported the Government's move, but said the school's healthy-food policy was already undermined by having a dairy so close.
"We have to police the boundaries during the day."
Judging by the student swoop, College Dairy owner Jeffrey Kim might need to stock up for boom times ahead.
He urged regulating the amount of fat and sugar in all foods rather than eliminating junk food from school canteens.
"Even if the Government makes rules to ban children from buying fast food at the tuckshop, they can go any other place."
Obesity Action Coalition spokeswoman Leigh Sturgiss said the argument - used by some principals - that children would avoid the ban by buying unhealthy food off-site was a "cop-out".
Kowhai Intermediate principal Paul Douglas said this did not happen when his school's canteen went healthy a couple of years ago. "We haven't got screeds of kids arriving at school with lukewarm pies or buns or things to eat during the day because they don't like the food at the canteen."
The ban marks a shift away from blaming individuals for obesity, by scaling back New Zealand's "obesity-promoting environment".
Some public health experts want to expand this approach, pushing for councils to prevent outlets selling unhealthy food opening near schools.
Mohammed Faiaz, of the Hospital Dairy in Henderson, which is near five schools, said there was a shopping rush each weekday morning and after school.
"Before school they come with parents, and even some of the parents buy them pies and things like that for breakfast."
Other dairies said lollies, pies and energy and fizzy drinks were popular with pupils, who flocked to stock up before and after class.
A year-11 reader of www.nzherald.co.nz yesterday posted a message online that his peers would hunt out fizzy drink at a supermarket near his school.
"I'd estimate there were a good 50 of us there at half-past eight," he wrote. "The school has tried to stop us several times, going as far as sending a teacher over."
