Overview#

The programme can provide lunches for the different dietary needs of students. If a complex dietary requirement cannot be provided, the supplier or Ministry will discuss this with the school.

This includes:

• standard meals – regular meals including vegetarian, vegan, ethical and religious meals (for example halal)
• special diets – meals outside of standard provision, for example simple allergies such as tomato, which may be a component of standard meals
• complex special diet – students with 3 or more allergies.

Nutrition standards#

All special dietary and complex meals are to meet the nutrition standards for the programme.

Nutrition standards for Ka Ora, Ka Ako menus – Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme

Who should order special dietary meals#

Student tastes vary and will have taste preferences. Suppliers and meal providers should seek regular feedback from students to understand popular meals, and adjust menus based on this.

Students ordering special dietary meals are to have 1 or more of the following:

• a food allergy – an immune response where the body identifies the food as harmful. This can be severe and potentially life threatening
• a food intolerance – difficulty in digesting specific foods resulting in stomach pain, bloating, diarrhoea, skin rashes, or itching
• an ethical food – requirement refer to the principles that guide food production and consumption choices based on values like environmental sustainability, social justice, and animal welfare
• a religious food requirement – specific rules by various religions regarding what foods can be eaten, and how they should be prepared and consume, for example Halal.

Common special diets#

The term ‘special diets’ refers to the most common special dietary requirements.

Meal providers are required to safely cater for the most common allergens which are gluten, milk products, egg, peanut, tree nuts*, sesame, fish, shellfish, kiwifruit, wheat, and soy.

Additionally, meal providers must be able to cater for food intolerances, vegetarian, vegan and meals for religious and ethical needs (for example halal).

The cost of these meals is the same as standard meal costs.

Funding for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches programme

A guide for common allergens is available on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) website.

A guide to allergen labelling – Knowing what’s in your food and how to label it – MPI

* Tree nuts include almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts.

Find out more about some of the common special diets you might come across at your school or kura here.

Gluten intolerance – Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme

Dairy intolerance – Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme

Halal, vegetarian and vegan diets – Ka Ora, Ka Ako | Healthy School Lunches Programme

Complex special diets#

Lunches must be prepared and served safely to students with complex dietary needs.

This includes:

• rare or multiple food allergies (3 or more)
• diagnosed intolerances (other than gluten and lactose intolerance)
• medically prescribed diets*
• pregnant and breastfeeding students
• students with sensory aversions due to medical conditions or disabilities
• complex religious dietary requirements, for example Kosher, those where there are variations during the week.

*Note: students whose medically prescribed diets are funded elsewhere, for example Te Whatu Ora, are outside of the scope of the Healthy School Lunches programme.

There are resources available to help with these meals, so all students can access a nutritious lunch.

It is important that schools and kura feel supported when it comes to special diets and meal providers work within their skills and capabilities. After all, the health and safety of students is the number 1 priority.

If you feel you are unable to safely provide a complex special diet meal, we will support you to either:

• do this, through extra training and/or funding to upskill
• by arranging an alternative supplier to provide these specific lunches.

Speak to your Healthy School Lunches senior advisor. They are there to help guide and support you.

Specialised diets form#

We encourage meal providers to work together with school and kura to gather special dietary information from students and whānau | families. It is the responsibility of both the meal provider and the school or kura to gather this information.

Below is a draft template you can use to gather information on dietary requirements.