Transcript Let`s go green - WA School Canteen Association

sustainable food
for a healthy future
Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM
nutritionist
food futures for children
 how healthy is our diet?
 the school’s contribution
 how sustainable is our diet?
 vision for sustainable food in the future
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
the balanced diet
nutrition
& health
environmental
sustainability
taste
‘food literacy’
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
children’s nutrition and health
 ~75% are in healthy weight range
 ~25% of children above healthy weight range
 poor food choices are common & contribute to
health problems in childhood & later in life
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
problems
 low intake of calcium (mainly in girls)
 low intake of dietary fibre
 excess sugar & acidic drinks (dental decay)
 too much salt
 low intake of vegetables in 95% of children
 protein ‘mania’ (among some teenage boys)
 vitamin B12 problem for vegans (OK if
consume milk, yoghurt, cheese & eggs)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
where the diet is going wrong
 frequent snacks
 sweet drinks
 too much junk food (>40% of kilojoules)
 breakfast is too sweet (or absent)
 low consumption of fruit & vegetables
 big changes in evening family meal
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
why so much junk?
 convenient
 some relatively cheap products
 mundane, but not unpleasant flavours
(dominated by sugar, salt, fat)
 profitable for food companies and therefore
promoted heavily
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
Victorian survey
1680 primary school children
 93% of kids had junk foods in lunch box
plus a sweet drink
 average of 3 junk food items/child
 does this make junk food ‘normal’ ?
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
influences on children’s diets
 family eating habits
 advertising/marketing
 taste (fussy eaters are common)
 peer group pressure
 access to a garden
 school’s attention to healthy food
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
what we are up against
marketing
 TV advertising
 internet & iPhone marketing
 in-school marketing
 sponsorship
 product placement
 sales promotions
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
food & advertising
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children are seen as fair game for
marketers and advertisers
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starts well before school age
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aim for brand recognition
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
marketing to children
multiple messages/multiple channels
 advertising (TV, sport, packaging)
 use of characters, mascots on clothing, bags
 internet marketing, email/texting
 product placement
 in-school marketing
 sponsorship
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
internet ‘advergaming’
 overtaking TV advertising
 children’s online ‘clubs’ with advertisements,
competitions, games (including ones that are
supposedly promoting nutrition), prizes
 immersive, interactive, incessant (20
minutes vs 30 seconds for TV ads)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
influence of marketing
it works!
 fast foods, snacks, sweet drinks expected
everywhere (including all sporting venues)
 take-away foods now ‘normal’
 packaged snacks now ‘normal’
 frequent treats now ‘normal’
 foods not advertised are ignored
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
excess weight in children
Children overweight and obese, by age group, Australia, 2007–08
Note: Based on measured height and weight.
Source: AIHW analysis of the 2007–08 NHS.
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
increasing weight - why?
children are eating more
– 13% increase in kilojoules
children are moving less
– more screens (computers, phones, TV)
– driven everywhere
– insufficient free play
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
does excess body fat matter?
 psycho-social problems
 health problems during childhood (sleep
apnoea, asthma, fatty liver, type 2
diabetes, high blood pressure)
 problems with knees, joints, feet
 health problems as adults
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
health problems
year 10 students
 15-20% - high insulin levels
 20% boys & 5% girls - high blood pressure
 9% of boys - abnormal liver function
 10% boys - low HDL(good) cholesterol
NSW Schools Physical Activity & Nutrition Survey(SPANS), available at
www.health.nsw.gov/pubs/2006/pdf/sspans report.pdf
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
health problems
year 10 students who are overweight
 15-20% 70% - high insulin levels
 20% 30% boys & 5% girls - high blood
pressure
 9% 40% of boys - abnormal liver function
 10% 25% boys & 20% girls - low HDL(good)
cholesterol
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
weight
health problems with underweight
 lack of stamina
 diet may lack nutrients (may be problems
with calcium, essential fats, vitamin B12)
 lack of self esteem (cause or effect?)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
weight
promote healthy balance
 emphasise health rather than weight
 healthy role models important
 over- or undereating often associated with
stress
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
the family table
disappearing
 15% of kids do not eat dinner*
 20% do not eat dinner with family*
 50% eat in front of TV
* NSW Health
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
the family table
small children who eat with adults
 better language skills
 better socialisation
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
the family table
older children who eat with adults
 fewer behavioural problems
 less likely to use alcohol, tobacco or
marijuana as teenagers
 more motivated at school
 less depression
 lower incidence of eating disorders
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
where changes are needed
 healthier choices
 suitable drinks are water or milk
 the day should start with breakfast
 fruit is the ideal snack
 children should be able to cook/prepare food
 dinner – a shared meal, at least some nights
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
supportive strategies
 children do not need special kids’ foods
 provide variety, but no need to be
excessive about it
 follow dietary guidelines
 ensure the school canteen supports
classroom teaching
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
solving the problem
food ‘literacy’
 ‘yummy’ foods not only junk foods
 help children discover how, when & where
food is grown, and how to prepare food
 cooking, shopping, gardening skills
(eg growing vegetables, fruit trees, school
& community gardens)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
how can canteens help?
 don’t be part of the problem
 emphasise vegetables & fruit
 set children’s idea of what is ‘normal’
 help expand children’s tastes
 encourage social eating
 emphasise ‘green’ foods (including those that
are environmentally green)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
school canteen
providing a good example
 healthy choices
 actively market those choices
 make fresh foods look attractive
 open for breakfast ?
 work with school or community garden ?
 an ‘eco’ canteen ?
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
‘eco’ canteens
publicise foods in season
stress value of fresh & healthy foods
expand plant food choices
where possible, work in with gardens or
growers (soil enhancement/compost)
 reduce waste
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© Rosemary Stanton 2015
waste
 globally, at least a third of all food is
wasted between field and fork
 food wasted in developed countries could
feed an extra 3 billion people
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
waste in Australia
occurs at all stages of the food chain
- households throw out ~ $8 billion food/year
(enough to fill 450,000 garbage trucks)
- food makes up >40% household garbage
- food waste makes up 1/3 municipal waste
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
waste
avoiding waste in canteens
- plan so as to reduce food losses due to
spoilage
- improve ordering practices
- set a good example by using/selling
leftovers
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
action on waste in WA
 Waste Authority – WA Too Good to Waste
 Waste Wise School program (reduce, reuse, recycle)
 Perth City Council
 Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council
 Tamala Park Regional Council
 City of Rockingham composting program
 Edith Cowan University (research)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
waste wise school program
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newsletter
competitions
recycling services
workshops
fact sheets (eg composting, edible school
gardens)
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
go ‘eco’ - waste less
food waste
 generates methane, the most powerful
greenhouse gas
 avoid methane if waste used for worm
farms, compost, soil enhancement, gardens
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
sustainability issues & food
up to 25%
of total greenhouse gas emissions
come from
production and distribution
of what we eat and drink
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
go down the food chain?
World Health Organisation and others
recommend
we bias our diets towards
plant foods
and less processed foods
for health & sustainability
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
‘eco’ considerations
packaging
 ~ 65% packaging is for food/beverages
 useful because it improves shelf life and
reduces food waste
 a problem because it uses energy
resources to produce, and more when
added to landfill
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
packaging
 packaging makes up 72% of litter in
Australia (includes 25 million plastic bags
discarded as litter/year)
 throughout the world, 400 billion plastic
water bottles added to landfill each year
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
packaging - action
 avoid packaged foods & drinks where possible
 recycle packaging where possible
 recycling bins in schools
 sell ‘school branded’ re-usable water bottles
 lobby governments to set mandatory rules for
container deposits
 lobby for recycling costs to be included in product
price
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
environmental issues
overproduction
waste reduce (also re-cycling at school)
excess packaging reduce
seasonal eating understand
food ‘miles’ understand
more plant foods (wholegrains, nuts, fruit,
vegetables, legumes)  offer more
 organic foods?  where affordable
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© Rosemary Stanton 2015
the value of gardens
encourage
 connection with the seasons
 planning & patience
 experimenting (different varieties)
 sharing
 interest from all ages
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
access to a garden
 increases children’s willingness to eat
vegetables
 improves family dynamics (less friction, more
varied menus, more sharing)
 kitchen gardens increase cooking skills
 improves overall diets
 advantages for ‘loners’
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
gardens
healthier, more enjoyable diet
healthier environment
simultaneously tackle
climate change, better
nutrition & food ‘literacy’
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
vision for a ‘future’ food system
 buy only what we need
 sustainable packaging
 fresh, local/home grown, where possible
 home cooked rather than take-away
 more vegetables, grains, nuts, fruit
 more sustainable farming (inc fish)
 small portions of sustainable animal foods
 tap water rather than sugary drinks
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
vision for a ‘future’ food system
 vegetable gardens (community, home, school)
 street trees with edible fruit
 collection & recycling systems for domestic,
school & commercial waste, subsidies for
composting
 school canteens will be ‘green’
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
reliable information
 The Parents Jury (www.parentsjury.org.au)
 Choice
 Cancer Council - Food Injunction
 LiveLighter
 Nutrition Australia
 Public Health Association of Australia
 Dietitians Association of Australia
© Rosemary Stanton 2015
the balanced diet
nutrition
& health
environmental
sustainability
taste
‘food literacy’
© Rosemary Stanton 2015