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About the nutrition standards#
The nutrition standards have been informed by the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Food and Drink Guidance and tailored to the unique context of the Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme.
Every lunch produced by meal providers is to meet the minimum weight and vegetable or salad requirements set out in the nutrition standards. This includes a balance of protein, vegetables and grains or starchy vegetables (carbohydrates).
Like a lot of parents cooking at home, sometimes those vegetables are hidden in the sauces to make the lunches more appealing to students.
How meals meet the nutrition standards#
We support meal providers to meet the standards. Suppliers and internal model schools submit menus each term to demonstrate compliance with the standards and common special diet variations e.g. vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free etc.
Suppliers liaise with food expects, such as a chef, nutritionist, dietitian to develop menu and meal recipes.
The whole lunch is to meet nutrition standards, which could include additional food items.
To support internal model schools and iwi/hapū providers there is a menu of cost-effective recipes available.
Meal providers can purchase food ingredients directly from wholesalers, local producers or supermarkets. Gilmours and Trents (Foodstuffs) have combined government buying power to offer ingredients at special wholesale pricing for the programme.
Minimum weights per meal#
Total minimum meal weights are set for each school year group as a minimum standard. The appropriate meal size will vary depending on how filling the foods are in any given meal. Meal providers will consider this in menu planning and adjust meals based on student feedback.
Total minimum meal weight#
The total minimum meal weight per year group is:
- Years 0 to 3 – 180 g.
- Years 4 to 8 – 240g.
- Years 9 and over – 300g.
The total weight of each meal should exceed the minimum weight.
Vegetables#
The weight requirement for salad vegetables is half of that for cooked vegetables.
The total minimum weights per year group are:
- Years 0 to 3 – 50g cooked or 25g salad.
- Years 4 to 8 – 60g cooked or 30g salad.
- Years 9 and over – 70g cooked or 35g salad.
Grain foods and starchy vegetables#
Grain foods and starchy vegetables should be served with every meal.
The total minimum weights per year group are:
- Years 0 to 3 – 30g.
- Years 4 to 8 – 60g.
- Years 9 and over – 90g.
Protein foods#
Plant-based protein foods generally contain less protein than animal-based products.
The total minimum weights per year group are:
- Years 0 to 3 – 45g when more than half the protein food is plant-based, or 30g when more than half the protein food is animal-based.
- Years 4 to 8 – 60g when more than half the protein food is plant-based, or 40g when more than half the protein food is animal-based.
- Years 9 and over – 75g when more than half the protein food is plant-based, or 50g when more than half the protein food is animal-based.
Additional food items#
Foods added to lunches as additional items do not have a minimum weight. They do count towards the total meal weight.
