Menu Planning

When planning a menu for the canteen, there are many factors that should be taken into consideration, including the size of the school, number of lunches prepared, the number of people who work in the canteen and their level of expertise in preparing food, and the equipment available. The menu should reflect the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

When planning school menus, emphasis should be given to the following foods that contribute significantly to meeting students’ nutritional needs:

Breads and cereal foods e.g. rice, pasta, especially wholegrain varieties
Fruit – preferably fresh, but including frozen and canned
Vegetables – fresh, frozen and canned
Reduced fat varieties of milk, cheese, yoghurt, soy
Lean meats, skin-free poultry, fish, eggs, baked beans and other legumes
Plain water

Many canteens prepare food from scratch on site. This is a great way to make use of fresh seasonal produce and specials, ensure items are within your budget (and that of student spending) and are healthy. Visit the following websites for delicious healthy canteen recipes:

Allergy Aware

A food allergy is an immune response to a food protein.

What is allergy?

Allergy occurs when a person’s immune system reacts to substances in the environment that are harmless for most people. These substances are known as allergens and are found in house dust mites, pets, pollen, insect venoms, moulds, foods and some medicines Allergic reactions vary and it is important to know what to do if someone has a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

What is anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and is potentially life threatening. It must be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment with adrenaline usually via an adrenaline autoinjector (such as EpiPen®) and urgent medical treatment Anaphylaxis usually occurs within 20 minutes, up to 2 hours of exposure to the trigger and can rapidly become life threatening.

There are more than 170 foods known to have triggered severe allergic reactions. Any food has the potential to cause an allergic reaction, however, 9 foods are responsible for approximately 90% of food-induced allergic reactions in Australia. These include eggs; milk; peanut; tree nuts (e.g. cashew, walnut, pistachio, hazelnut); fish; shellfish (e.g. prawn, lobster); sesame; soy; and wheat.

According to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), the prevalence in Australia is:

Infants up to 12 months: 10% Children up to 5 years: 4-8% Adults: approximately 2-3%

More information is available from:

Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia allergyfacts.org.au
Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy allergy.org.au

The ‘traffic light system’

The FOCIS nutrient criteria and traffic light system (2016) closely align to the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines (2010). The traffic light system enables the practical identification of food and drinks suitable for school canteens. See the Traffic light system fact sheet.

GREEN: contain a wide range of nutrients; generally low in fat/sugar/sodium (salt). These foods and drinks correspond to core food groups in the Australian Guide to Health Eating.

AMBER: contain some valuable nutrients; may also contain higher levels of fat/sugar/sodium (salt); over-consumption could contribute to excess energy intake.

RED: low in nutritional value; often contain excess energy (kilojoules)/fat/sugar/sodium (salt); often discretionary foods. Products that do not meet the FOCIS nutrient criteria are red.

Food Labels

Food labels in Australia and New Zealand, must show nutrition information presented in a standard table format called the Nutrition Information Panel or NIP. This shows quantities per serve and per 100g and is an invaluable tool to assess how nutritious the food may be. However, understanding exactly what it means can be tricky. The Reading Food Labels poster developed by FSANZ clearly explains all the elements in a simple way.

Food must also comply with Country of Original labelling, which provides information on if the food was:

made in Australia – last major process was done here
grown in Australia – 100% of ingredients are grown here
a product of Australia – 100% of ingredients are grown here and all major processing was done here
packed in Australia – includes a bar chart to indicate percentage of Australian ingredients.

For more information see the ACCC guide to Country of Origin Food Labelling.

News and Events

Whole Grain Week

As part of Whole Grain Week 2023, the Grains and Legumes Nutrition Council has developed an on-line recipe book full of delicious ways to increase the whole grains in your diet. The recipes can be download here.
Advocacy and Communications Officer

FOCIS is currently looking for dynamic Advocacy and Communications Officer to join our team. If you would like to be part of an organisation advocating for the role of school food services in creating a whole school approach to healthy food environments, this could be the position for you. This role is for 7.5-10 hours per week and you will work from home, so can be located anywhere in Australia. For more information see our advert on SEEK or contact us on admin@focis.com.au.
Creating a whole school approach to healthy eating

The whole school approach to healthy eating is an evidence based approach that works to develop a healthy food culture in schools that positively impacts the eating habits of students. For more information see this recent article written by FOCIS and published in Education Australia.
Queensland's Best Tuckshop Recipes

Congratulations to Southport State School Tuckshop Convener, Angelique Scarpignato, for winning the 2023 Queensland Tuckshops Recipe of the Year competition with her recipe for Butter Chicken.
More information about the competition and this healthy recipe can be found in a recent article by the Bursar.
Food-EPI Australia reports for all jurisdictions

Deakin University have completed their reports for the Food-EPI Australia 2022 initiative. These are now available online.
The Federal Government report was released first as part of the International Congress on Obesity in October 2022, and the jurisdictional reports progressively released, in conjunction with NGOs in each jurisdiction.
Education Australia - Canteen Food and Beverage

The March edition of Education Australia contains some interesting articles on the importance of children eating a healthy diet at school. This article on School Food Services - providing a nutritious food services to support student learning, is written by the FOCIS Executive. The article discusses the importance of a whole school approach to healthy eating and the role school canteens play in supporting student health and wellbeing and the impact a healthy diet can have on brain development and academic achievement.
There is also an article from Nutrition Australia, ACT's senior dietitian, Leanne Elliston, on how staying well-nourished and hydrated at school impacts students energy and concentration levels.
School lunch boxes should be practical and affordable

The pressure to make the perfect school lunch box is on the rise but with parents busier than ever it is important to remember that healthy lunches do not have to be unwrapped or organic. This article from the ABC shows how Queensland tuckshops are providing healthy affordable lunches that children love to eat.
Fact Sheets and Position Statements

FOCIS has developed a suite of fact sheets and position statements that cover topics such as 'Make money not waste' and 'Sweeteners', check them out today.