As part of the school environment, the canteen is in a unique position to make a positive contribution to students’ health and welfare. The school, together with parents, has a responsibility to educate students about food and nutrition.
School canteens have several important functions:
- to provide a service to the school community
- to provide a variety of nutritious and attractively presented food and drinks at a reasonable cost
- to practically reinforce the curriculum in Tasmanian Schools
- to maintain high standards of hygiene in handling, preparing, serving and storage of food in line with the Tasmanian Food Act, 2003 and the Food Safety Standards
- to function as an efficient business by:
- offering a regular, high-quality service to the school community
- operating at a break-even point or at a reasonable profit for the benefit of the school and, in turn, each child.
Through involvement in the work of the canteen, parents can:
- contribute to setting educational goals and policies
- participate in the development or evaluation of a canteen policy
- look at health and nutrition education in general.
This may be done as members of a canteen committee or as interested parents assisting directly with the work of the canteen.
When canteen staff, parents, teachers and students work together, the canteen can become a focal point for nutrition education that supports and reinforces what students learn at home, in the classroom and in the community.
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