Ministry staff working directly with schools provide qualitative insights based on their understanding of the needs and character of each school. The impact on nearby schools is also considered, plus any likelihood of students moving between schools to access lunches.
School deciles are not used as a measure of need.
The lunches are healthy and nutritious. Ingredients are from the four main food groups: Vegetables and fruit; breads and cereals; milk and dairy products; lean meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds.
There is no set lunch menu; schools and suppliers decide what works best for them.
A typical weekly menu includes wraps, vegetable sticks, dips, salads and soups. Menus also reflect available fresh produce, and feedback from schools and students.
Children's tastes vary. It can be challenging to provide healthy food that children will eat. Working closely with the Ministry of Health, nutrition and health experts, suppliers have established guidelines.
Staff preparing food must comply with the Food Act 2014 and be aware of allergies and allergens. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) provides a food-safety plan and can help organise training to assist schools that are providing their own lunches.
Contracts with external suppliers include requirements to meet nutritional guidelines and health and safety standards.
Lunches are provided at a maximum "per child, per day" cost of $5 for students in Years 1 — 8.
Schools are also encouraged to move towards a zero-waste policy, reduce food wastage, and minimise the use of plastic single-use items.
Some schools have done food waste audits to see how much avoidable food waste students throw away. In one primary school, the children from one class threw away 3.7kg of edible food a day. This amounts to 180kg a term for just one class!
Half-eaten sandwiches and apples are some of the most commonly thrown-away foods.
Schools can use a number of strategies to reduce food waste:
1. Identify the main source of the waste by conducting a food waste audit.
2. Have a plan for how to deal with predictable food waste. Ensure there are spare containers available for people to take food home. Discount unsold items.
3. Have a pack in, pack out school lunch box policy where children take home their uneaten lunches. As well as reducing the amount of food waste the school must dispose of, it allows parents to see what their children are eating, and may encourage parents to change how much they provide.
4. Some schools allow students to play first and then come inside to eat lunch. This reduces how much food is wasted and improves students' concentration and performance in the afternoon.
5. Teachers actively reminding students to eat all their lunch has also been effective in reducing how much food is wasted.
6. Some schools have sharing tables where students can leave their uneaten lunches. Staff and students may take these items home to eat, compost or feed to their hens.
7. Some schools have a worm farm.
Whanganui Intermediate (WIS) started Ka Ora, Ka Ako last month. WIS is also a water-only school.
By the end of 2021, a total of 200,000 students in 829 schools will receive a lunch each school day.
Margi Keys co-ordinates Conservation Comment. She is also a long-term member of Tongariro Natural History Society, and regularly volunteers at Bushy Park/Tarapuruhi.
