Sue Kedgley launches petition for healthy food in schools

The days of a fatty pie or cream bun from the school tuck shop may be over - again - if Green MP Sue Kedgley has her way.

Ms Kedgley was due to launch a nationwide petition in Auckland today to reintroduce guidelines forcing schools to sell healthy food.

She said the nutritional guidelines requiring school tuck shops to sell healthy food was dropped earlier this year and it needed to be reintroduced.

That could mean schools could only sell food like pies, sausage rolls and cream buns on rare occasions and the normal fare would be healthy food.

"Poor nutrition is the leading cause of death and disease in New Zealand. If we are going to tackle the epidemics of type 2 diabetes, obesity, dental disease, whatever, we are going to have to improve the quality of food on sale in schools and make other changes in our society," she told NZPA.

She said there was evidence that healthy food at school led to better learning and behaviour.

She said since the Nutritional Guidelines were introduced in 2007 many schools had begun selling healthier food and avoided junk food high in fat and sugar.

"I am calling on the government to put the interests of our children and the health of the nation ahead of ideology or political point scoring," she said.

She said about 60 per cent of children bought food from their school tuck shop.

- NZPA