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Children learn better when they aren’t hungry#
We know from research that children's development and learning improve when they are not hungry. We also know that some children and young people in New Zealand do not always get enough to eat.
Eating together as a school#
The goal is for students in need of a lunch to share kai | food together. Every student in the school is offered a meal, not just those who did not bring one.
Talk to your school about how they run the Healthy School Lunches programme and about your child’s needs.
Wider benefits#
Some schools and kura use the programme as a chance to learn about nutrition or sustainability. In some schools, students are involved in activities such as growing vegetables, making food or designing menus as part of their learning.
Who makes the lunches#
Healthy School Lunches has a range of delivery models to meet the unique needs of schools and kura.
Healthy, safe and nutritious meals#
Lunch providers must follow the same safety standards as any other commercial food provider.
They must provide safe options for all children including those with allergens, intolerances, ethical or religious diet requirements. For example, children who:
- are vegetarian
- are vegan
- have an allergy or intolerance to a food type
- eat according to religious beliefs, such as halal food.
Healthy School Lunches are required to meet nutrition standards that have been developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health, schools and nutrition stakeholders.
Every meal is to meet the minimum weight and vegetable or salad requirements. Like a lot of parents cooking at home, sometimes those vegetables are hidden in the sauces to make the lunches more appealing to students.
If your child has an allergy or special diet, notify your school.
Nutrition standards for Healthy School Lunches
What happens to extra food#
To make sure there are enough lunches for all students, sometimes there are leftovers.
If students are still hungry after lunch, we encourage schools to provide them with an additional meal if available. It is important that this food is stored properly during the school day. All left over meals are to be returned to the meal provider.
