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Essay On My School Canteen

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The canteen in my school provides students, teachers and other staff with delicious food and drink in hygienic condition. I know that instead of buying things from roadside sellers, it is safe to eat canteen food. Roadside food can spoil our health. I am lucky to have such a good canteen in my school.

Teachers and other staff members are served by canteen boys in trays. They are served with some light refreshments, tea , coffee , soft drinks, etc. They eat it in their office and staffroom during lunch and short breaks. Even they enjoy canteen food wholehearted.

Many find our school canteen as a great advantage to both pupils and staff. However, a few PTA members do not think so. They think that school encourages students to spend money on eating outside food.

Our Principal Mrs. Karbhari is a truthful and straightforward woman. She always likes to put good new ideas into practice. Last month one of the parents in a PTA meeting suggested that there were good chances of improving the services provided by the school canteen. Since then many positive changes have been brought to the canteen.

The quality of the food has improved. It is served fresh and clean. Food is tastier than ever before. Special utensils are used to store food. The variety of food has increased. Most importantly, it is available at many affordable rates.

My school canteen is run by a staff of people who are well trained and dedicated to preparing food that suits best to the children. On every Thursday, each child gets a free banana from the canteen. Bottles of mineral water are also sold here. Most of the South Indian dishes and dry snacks are available in the canteen. I love to have mendu wada sambhar and plain dosa.

During recess, there is a great rush. However, students show discipline and are well-mannered. Specially appointed students from senior classes help in maintaining discipline in the canteen. There are few benches in the canteen where at least fifty to sixty students can sit at a time to have their lunch. Everything runs smoothly during recess.

Sometimes even teachers and other staff members are seen visiting the school canteen. They sit to have their tea, coffee, or some light snacks. Thus, for me canteen in my school must not be considered as a treat but a need because it fills our empty bellies and helps us in making our minds work during studies.

Set 1: Essay On My School Canteen

I study in Cambridge School which is one of the best schools of Mumbai. It has a stone building. It has all the facilities a good school should have well-furnished classrooms, laboratories, library and playgrounds.

As we enter the school, there is a playground to our left and a small garden to our right. When we enter the building, the principal’s room and the office room are to the left and the staff room to the right side. These are well-furnished. There are thirty-four classrooms. Our laboratories are well-equipped. Our library has books on almost all the subjects. Our librarian is also very nice and helps us choose good books.

Our school, like all schools, has a prescribed uniform. We have to wear white or cream cotton shirts, light blue trousers, black shoes and white socks. Girls have to wear white blouses and light-blue skirts in primary and middle classes and white shirts and light-grey skirts in higher classes. They have to tie their long hair with white ribbons.

In our school special attention is paid to behaviour, cleanliness and punctuality. The most well-behaved, neat and punctual student is awarded a prize at the Annual Day function.

Our principal is a strict disciplinarian. He takes the help of P.T. teachers too. If any student violates the rules, is not in uniform, or makes mischief, gets punished. But he is fair and loving. He tries to find out the reason and guides us.

Our teachers are also quite strict. They teach us with great care, check our notebooks and help us with our problems. But if we are inattentive and don’t work properly, we are punished.

I like my school very much and am proud that I belong to it.

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English essay on our School Canteen for students & children

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Our school canteen is very well equipped. One can buy almost every kind of snack there, like samosas, chips, sandwiches, sweet, cakes etc. They are prepared in very hygienic surroundings by our school cook, and tables to sit on and eat, and ovens to keep the food warm. There is also a soda fountain which is Very popular among the older students.

All the students love to sit in the canteen and discuss the events of the day. The noise level is always very high in the canteen as everyone is shouting to make himself heard. There are notice boards and suggestion boxes which all students are freely. There is also a separate enclosure for teachers. The cook charges very reasonable rates from us.

I think that the school canteen is my favorite place in the school. I always enjoy myself there, and look forward to the recess when I can rush to the canteen with my friends.

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Essay on Our School Canteen | Our School Canteen Essay for Students and Children in English

February 7, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay on Our School Canteen – Given below is a Long and Short Essay on Our School Canteen of competitive exams, kids and students belonging to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The Our School Canteen essay 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 words in English helps the students with their class assignments, comprehension tasks, and even for competitive examinations.

You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Short Essay on Our School Canteen 300 Words for Kids and Students in English

All the corridors of the school should lead to the canteen but unfortunately, it is in a corner of the school. It has a small window through which the canteen incharge supplies us snacks, tea and cold drink. Our principal has allowed a stall of ice cream in the canteen. There are two other counters for books, stationery and beverages. It is mostly the parents who visit the stationery counter. The students go there only under compulsion. Their most favourite spot is the ice cream corner. The students flock round it and buy the ice creams that are available in different flavours.

Their mouths water at the sight of ice cream and they want to break the queue to have it first. The second favourite counter is that of beverages. They wash down their lunches with some cold drink or a cup of tea. They sip it slowly so that it could last for the whole period. As the bottle starts showing its bottom, their speed also decreases. They glup down the last drop with a heavy heart as if it was the end of their friendship with the bottle.

The third counter, to attract a small crowd, is the place where the students get snacks. Toffees and chocolates are in great demand. Some students buy patties, bread-pakoras, slices or cakes. Some teachers also make a beeline for this counter. Everyone is in a hurry. There is a rule of “first come, first serve” but the students do not follow it. They always hand over money to the students who are nearer the counter and ask them to purchase the snacks for them.

As the recess period is over, they leave their disneyland with a heavy heart. The students wend their way to the classrooms. One can see gloom writ large on their faces. They get ready to attend the last few periods. Canteen is indeed the most happening place of the school.

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> Journals
> Public Health Nutrition
> Volume 26 Issue 11
> How healthy and affordable are foods and beverages...

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Conflict of interest, ethics of human subject participation, supplementary material, how healthy and affordable are foods and beverages sold in school canteens a cross-sectional study comparing menus from victorian primary schools.

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 July 2023

Supplementary materials

Government policy guidance in Victoria, Australia, encourages schools to provide affordable, healthy foods in canteens. This study analysed the healthiness and price of items available in canteens in Victorian primary schools and associations with school characteristics.

Dietitians classified menu items (main, snack and beverage) using the red, amber and green traffic light system defined in the Victorian government’s School Canteens and Other School Food Services Policy. This system also included a black category for confectionary and high sugar content soft drinks which should not be supplied. Descriptive statistics and regressions were used to analyse differences in the healthiness and price of main meals, snacks and beverages offered, according to school remoteness, sector (government and Catholic/independent) size, and socio-economic position.

State of Victoria, Australia

A convenience sample of canteen menus drawn from three previous obesity prevention studies in forty-eight primary schools between 2016 and 2019.

On average, school canteen menus were 21 % ‘green’ (most healthy – everyday), 53 % ‘amber’ (select carefully), 25 % ‘red’ (occasional) and 2 % ‘black’ (banned) items, demonstrating low adherence with government guidelines. ‘Black’ items were more common in schools in regional population centres. ‘Red’ main meal items were cheaper than ‘green’% (mean difference –$0·48 (95 % CI –0·85, –0·10)) and ‘amber’ –$0·91 (–1·27, –0·57)) main meal items. In about 50 % of schools, the mean price of ‘red’ main meal, beverages and snack items were cheaper than ‘green’ items, or no ‘green’ alternative items were offered.

In this sample of Victorian canteen menus, there was no evidence of associations of healthiness and pricing by school characteristics except for regional centres having the highest proportion of ‘black’ (banned) items compared with all other remoteness categories examined. There was low adherence with state canteen menu guidelines. Many schools offered a high proportion of ‘red’ food options and ‘black’ (banned) options, particularly in regional centres. Unhealthier options were cheaper than healthy options. More needs to be done to bring Victorian primary school canteen menus in line with guidelines.

Schools are an important setting for establishing healthy dietary patterns and reducing risks of chronic disease like childhood overweight and obesity ( Reference Peterson and Fox 1 , Reference Driessen, Cameron and Thornton 2 ) . Unlike the USA, the UK and Japan where food is routinely provided for students at school, in Australia, food is typically prepared at home and taken to school or alternatively purchased from a school-based canteen or ‘lunch order’ system whereby parents can place orders for food which is either prepared by the canteen itself or from an offsite food provision service. Access to canteens and lunch orders is determined individually by the school and can range from access once or twice a week to every day. Historically, school canteens or lunch orders have offered a high proportion of energy-dense and less healthy foods such as pastries, cakes and sugar-sweetened beverages ( Reference Bell and Swinburn 3 , Reference Bell and Swinburn 4 ) , even though it is recognised that school food is important for health messaging and education ( Reference Bell and Swinburn 4 ) . Further, energy consumed from discretionary foods obtained at school, along with frequency of purchasing lunch at school canteens, has been associated with overweight and obesity ( Reference Masse, de Niet-Fitzgerald and Watts 5 , Reference Hardy, Foley and Partridge 6 ) . The system of food provision in Australian schools has meant that health promotion efforts have focused both on parent and caregiver education and on policies designed to influence the availability and affordability of foods and beverages provided by school canteens.

Schools are a key setting for action in Australia’s recent National Obesity Strategy ( 7 ) . However to date, the presence of school nutrition policy has not necessarily translated to a healthy canteen ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 ) . Australia’s states and territories, which have responsibility for the education system, have progressively introduced policy guidelines for school food provision since 2005 ( 9 ) . The Victorian state government’s Department of Education and Training first released a food service policy for schools in 2006, with guidelines on the provision of healthy food and drink underpinned by the Australian Dietary Guidelines ( 10 ) . Following this, the School Confectionary Guidelines were instituted in 2009 ( 11 ) , and more recently, in June 2020, the policy name was simplified to ‘Canteens, Healthy Eating and Other Food Services’ policy with no change to policy content ( 12 ) . The policy uses a ‘traffic light’ classification system to guide food provision, with the availability, promotion, competitive pricing, and display of ‘Everyday’ food and drinks (‘green’ classification) encouraged (12) . ‘Green’ menu items should make up the majority (> 50 %) of available items. ‘Select Carefully’ (‘amber’ classification) food and drinks should be restricted and make up less than half of the canteen menu, while ‘Occasionally’ food and drink (‘red’ classification) should not be included on the regular menu (12) . Banned items on the policy include high sugar content drinks and confectionary (‘black’ classification) (12) . It is important to note that these guidelines are not mandated in government or other types of schools (e.g. Catholic/independent), nor formally monitored; however, schools are strongly encouraged to support a whole-school approach to health eating ( 12 ) .

Historically, studies have found poor adherence to school food policy, both Australia-wide ( Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon 13 , Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) and in Victoria specifically ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 , Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) . For example, an analysis of 106 school canteens in 2008 and 2009 found that on average only 20 % of items on the menus were ‘green’ ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 ) . Furthermore, a recent analysis of healthy v . less healthy menu food options in school canteens revealed that less healthy food options were significantly cheaper ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) , though this study did not include drinks. A national analysis of school canteens Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon found similar findings (albeit in secondary schools), with healthier items significantly more expensive than less healthy, and almost all schools offering red items contrary to advice provided in region-specific policies and guidelines (13) . Drink choices were dominated by red and amber options ( Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon 13 ) . A recent cross-sectional study found that 38 % of schools reported that they had a healthy canteen policy, indicating interest from schools to adopt healthy practices ( Reference Alston, Crooks and Strugnell 16 ) . However, the implementation of that policy and whether it translated to healthier canteens was not evaluated ( Reference Alston, Crooks and Strugnell 16 ) .

Diet-related chronic disease is higher in rural Australia compared with urban counterparts, and improving the healthiness of diet is a key priority ( Reference Alston, Jacobs and Allender 17 ) . Furthermore, higher rates of childhood obesity (a key risk factor for chronic diseases) in Victorian regional areas have also been reported (32 % of girls and 29 % boys outside of major cities ( Reference Crooks, Strugnell and Bell 18 ) compared with national average of about 25 % ( 19 ) . Therefore, it is important to explore differences in the healthiness of canteen menus by remoteness. Some previous studies have not analysed healthiness of canteen menus by school characteristics such as level of disadvantage or geographic location ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 , Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 , Reference Wyse, Wiggers and Delaney 20 , Reference Clinton-McHarg, Janssen and Delaney 21 ) . Other studies have analysed, with mixed findings. A cross-sectional study in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, revealed an association with schools classified as high socio-economic status having higher canteen usage compared with schools classified as low socio-economic status ( Reference Finch, Sutherland and Harrison 22 ) . A cross-sectional study in NSW revealed no difference in nutrition by school location and level of disadvantage ( Reference Delaney, Sutherland and Wyse 23 ) , while a study in NSW revealed some variations in the availability of healthy foods and pricing and promotional strategies by school characteristics, for example, a higher proportion of schools in high socio-economic areas had healthier menu options ( Reference Yoong, Nathan and Wyse 24 ) . Another national Australian cross-sectional study revealed an increase in proportion of schools selling less healthy snacks cheaper than healthy snacks as level of disadvantage increased ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . These studies only focused on government schools ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 , Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 , Reference Delaney, Sutherland and Wyse 23 ) , were largely focused on NSW ( Reference Wyse, Wiggers and Delaney 20 , Reference Delaney, Sutherland and Wyse 23 – Reference Delaney, Wyse and Yoong 28 ) and did not include a price analysis on beverages ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 , Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) or the presence of a healthy eating policy within the school. Moreover, as food affordability is a major determinant of the healthiness of dietary choices, it is important to determine whether school food environments support healthy choices for those with higher levels of socio-economic disadvantage (who tend to be more price sensitive) ( Reference Zorbas, Palermo and Chung 29 ) . There is a need for studies to more comprehensively assess the factors associated with health-promoting pricing strategies in order to generalise findings more readily to a range of contexts.

Therefore, the aims of this study were to:

1) Analyse the healthiness and price of items offered by Victorian primary school canteens across various school characteristics and levels of remoteness;

2) Examine adherence to Victorian state government guidelines for provision of food and drinks in primary school canteens

Study design and participants

The data used in this study were from cross-sectional analyses of a convenience sample of canteen menus that were collected from primary (elementary) schools participating in three studies: the Whole of Systems Trial of Prevention Strategies for Childhood Obesity (WHO STOPS ( Reference Allender, Millar and Hovmand 30 ) ) in 2017 ( n 16; original study had an overall 69 % school participation rate, of which 30 % schools with menus collected in Autumn/Winter are included in this current analysis); Goulburn Valley Health Behaviours Monitoring Study in 2016 ( n 9; original study had an overall 63 % school participation rate, of which 23 % with menus collected in Autumn/Winter are included in this current analysis) ( Reference Hoare, Crooks and Hayward 31 ) and Healthy Together Victoria and Childhood Obesity Study from 2016 to 2019 ( n 23; original study had an overall 33 % school participation rate, of which 50 % schools with menus collected in Winter/Spring are included in this current analysis) ( Reference Strugnell, Millar and Churchill 32 ) . Methods for the three studies have been previously described in detail ( Reference Allender, Millar and Hovmand 30 – Reference Strugnell, Millar and Churchill 32 ) . For the Goulburn Valley Health Behaviours Monitoring Study and WHO STOPS, all primary schools in the nine local government areas were invited to participate. For the Healthy Together Victoria and Childhood Obesity Study, a strategic random sampling technique with replacement was used to invite three primary schools within twenty-six local government areas spread across metropolitan and regional Victoria. WHO STOPS ( Reference Allender, Millar and Hovmand 30 ) and Healthy Together Victoria and Childhood Obesity Study ( Reference Strugnell, Millar and Churchill 32 ) were both childhood obesity prevention studies, focused on building community capacity to implement intervention strategies most relevant to their community context (i.e. community resources and capacity) to promote healthy eating and physical activity across a diverse range of settings. The Goulburn Valley Health Behaviours Monitoring Study was a census-style observational study aiming to understand rates of overweight/obesity, associations with health behaviours (e.g. diet and physical activity) and health-related quality of life ( Reference Hoare, Crooks and Hayward 31 ) . Upon receiving verbal consent from the school principal to participate in the study, written information packs were mailed to the school and during school visits the school canteen menus were collected (hard copy). The presence or absence of school policies on healthy eating were also collected as dichotomous yes/no as part of the data collection and were completed by the school principals or their nominees. Note that the canteen menus examined in this study were collected from comparison sites without active intervention.

Measures and data management

School characteristics and level of remoteness.

For each school, collected characteristics included remoteness, sector (government or Catholic/independent), type (prep to year 6 (i.e. aged 5–12 years) or combined prep to year 12 (i.e. aged 5–18 years)), size, and socio-economic status. School characteristic data were collected from the publicly available MySchool database ( 33 ) , matched to the year of data collection (e.g. if menu was collected in 2016, then 2016 school characteristics were used).

Remoteness of the school were classified according to the Modified Monash Model ( 34 ) . The Modified Monash Model was developed based on the Australian Statistical Geography Standard and uses population numbers and road distance to classify areas into remoteness categories on a scale of MM1 to MM7, where 1 represents metropolitan locations and 7 represents very remote communities ( 34 ) . Classifications for each school were obtained from the publicly available ‘locator’ database provided by the Australian Department of Health ( 35 ) and using school postcode.

School type was categorised into two groups for the purpose of this study: government schools and Catholic/independent schools. Whilst all Victorian schools regardless of whether they are government, Catholic or independent operate under legislative and regulatory requirements (e.g. Education and Training Reform Act 2006 ( 36 ) and Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 ( 37 , 38 ) ), Catholic and independent schools are not part of the government system, with their own enrolment, costs, and policies ( 39 ) , and are not required to adhere to this state guideline ( Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) . Therefore, the school type was dichotomised to reflect any potential differences type of schools might have in adhering to the state government canteens, health eating and other food services policy ( 12 ) . School size classification was defined as per the Australian Education Act ( 40 ) : small schools (≥ 15–≤ 200 students), medium schools (> 200 to < 300 students) and large schools (≥ 300 students). The Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) ( 41 ) is constructed from student characteristics (parents’ occupation and education level), the location of the school, and the proportion of Indigenous students and is designed to rank schools according to their level of socio-educational advantage. Given the average ICSEA across Australian schools is 1000, ICSEA scores were dichotomised into < 1000 or ≥ 1000, where < 1000 represents schools with lower socio-educational advantage (i.e. higher levels of disadvantage) and ≥ 1000 represents schools with higher socio-educational advantage (i.e. lower levels of disadvantage) ( 41 ) .

Menu assessment

Menu analysis was undertaken by two dietitians (AH and LA). AH undertook 100 % of the assessment with a 10 % subset analysed independently by LA to cross-check and confirm classifications (with 100 % agreement achieved). Each individual menu item was classified as ‘green’, ‘amber’, ‘red’ or ‘black’ based on its nutritional content, using the traffic light system defined in the Victorian government’s school operations policy ‘Canteens, Healthy Eating and Other Food Services’ ( 12 ) . Examples of each classification are provided below but are not exhaustive. Examples of ‘green’ items included chicken and salad sandwich, pumpkin soup, fruit, low-fat yogurt and water. Examples of ‘amber’ items included Vegemite sandwich, ham and cheese sandwich, lasagne, popcorn, and 100 % fruit juice. Examples of ‘red’ items included meat savoury pie, hot chips (fries), salami and cheese sandwich, donut, and fruit drinks (< 100 % fruit juice). Examples of ‘black’ items included chocolate chip biscuits (cookies), confectionary, and chocolate mud cake. Traffic light classification was entered into an excel spreadsheet and exported to STATA version 15 (StataCorp) ( 42 ) for analysis. The menu analysis was undertaken with the assistance of FoodChecker software provided free by the Victorian government’s Healthy Eating Advisory Service (HEAS, supported by the Victorian Division of Nutrition Australia) ( 43 ) which assesses menu items against the Canteens, Healthy Eating and Other Food Services policy using the traffic light classification ( 12 ) . FoodChecker has a comprehensive database of products (branded, pre-made foods and drinks). A list of assumptions made during canteen menu analysis can be found in online supplementary material, Supplemental File 1 . For food items not listed on FoodChecker, a similar item available on the database was used, or if the coding dietitian deemed that no item of close similarity was available, the item was added as a product. To do this, the dietitian located the product’s nutrition information panel online and added it to FoodChecker as a product or receipt (two occasions). Items were also classified into three categories: main, that is, items served as a main meal (e.g. sandwich, wrap, meat pie, herein referred to as main items), snack or beverage.

Food item grouping for pricing analysis

The price of individual menu items was extracted from the canteen menus to enable a detailed price analysis. There were no missing price data. The price analysis was undertaken by MB in STATA version 15 (StataCorp) ( 42 ) . Small hot food items such as party-pies, sausage rolls and dim sims were classified as ‘snacks’ when sold individually, or as a ‘main’ when sold in multiples of 2 or more. Food items which are unlikely to be purchased on their own, for example, sauces or optional additional sandwich toppings, were excluded from the analysis.

‘Black’ items were grouped with ‘red’ items for the purposes of price analysis. Prices of the lowest priced ‘red/black’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ items in each menu category (main, snack and beverage) were identified. Canteens without ‘red’ items in a menu category were classified as selling their ‘green’ items cheaper in that category ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . Those canteens without ‘green’ items were classified as selling ‘red’ alternatives cheaper.

Statistical analysis

Chi-square tests were used to determine differences in the proportion of items available for purchase in each traffic light category by remoteness, sector, type, size and ICSEA with P < 0·05 considered a statistically significant difference. The most common ‘red’ and ‘black’ items was tabulated by ordering the highest proportion of items by each discretionary/banned food category. To examine adherence to Victorian state government guidelines for food and drink provision in primary school canteens, menu items were first tabulated by individual school into the relevant ‘green’, ‘amber’, ‘red’ and ‘black’ categories. Schools were then assessed against the School Canteens and Other School Food Services Policy which states ‘green’ items to represent > 50 % of the menu, ‘amber’ to represent < 50 % of the menu, and ‘red’ items should not be regularly available (e.g. available no more than two occasions per term) and ‘black’ items should not be supplied at any time ( 12 ) .

For the pricing analysis, the prices of the cheapest ‘green’, ‘amber’ and ‘red’ items in each menu category were compared using univariate linear regression to determine the mean (95 % CI) price and price difference between ‘red’ and ‘green’ alternatives. A series of univariate linear regressions were conducted for each menu category to determine the differences in price by traffic light classification. Normality of price residuals was tested using hettest command in Stata. Multi-variable analysis was not utilised to reduce the risk of a type 1 error. Note that the pricing analysis was conducted to compare items with the cheapest menu item, rather than the mean price of the menu item, as per previous methodology and the likelihood that the cheapest menu item would be the most affordable comparison for students ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . Prices ($) are reported in AUD. P -values < 0·05 were considered significant.

Main items were further examined using exploratory univariate linear regression analysis to test whether price of cheapest main item varied by school characteristics including: size of school (small, medium and large), ICSEA score (ICSEA < 1000; ≥ 1000), school sector (government and non-government (Catholic/independent)), remoteness (MM1 (metropolitan), MM2, MM3, MM4 and MM5 (most remote in this context)) and presence of school healthy eating policy (yes and no). Multivariate linear regressions were used to explore the association between school characteristics and price and traffic light classification of menu items. An interaction term between traffic light classification and school characteristics was included in these models to explore whether the variation in the price for each traffic light category was related to school characteristic level. Due to the presence of exploratory interaction terms, P -values < 0·01 were considered significant to reduce the risk of type I error ( Reference Gibson 44 ) .

Sensitivity analysis

To compare results of this study to the most relevant previous study of school food prices in Australia by Billich et al. ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) , a sensitivity analysis was conducted. The analyses were repeated using collapsed healthiness classifications in which product traffic light classifications were grouped into ‘healthier’ (‘green’) and ‘less healthy’ (‘amber’, ‘red’ and ‘black’) items.

School characteristics

The characteristics of participating schools are presented in Table 1 . Forty-eight schools provided canteen menus offering a total of 1818 individual menu items for sale, an average of thirty-eight items per school. The estimated total enrolments was 16 146 students (prep to year 6), and the majority of schools that provided menus were government (77 %) and prep to year 6 (81 %) schools, with a relatively even representation of small, medium and large schools. The majority of schools were situated in small rural towns (MM5), and none of the schools in this sample were classified as remote or very remote communities (MM6–MM7). Most (60 %) of the schools were in communities with lower than average socio-educational advantage (ICSEA < 1000). Most schools (89 %) reported that they did have a healthy eating policy in place, and the canteen food was prepared on site in two-thirds of schools (65 %) rather than out-sourced to an external provider.

Table 1 School characteristics and proportion (%) of ‘green’, ‘amber’, ‘red’ and ‘black’ menu items ( n 48 canteen menus)

MM, Modified Monash Model; ICSEA, Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage.

* Data missing for two schools; in-house – canteen on school site; out-sourced – external food retail setting provided food. P -value from χ 2 test. MM was used to classify remoteness ( 34 ) ; ICSEA ( 41 ) : lower socio-educational advantage (i.e. higher levels of disadvantage) and higher socio-educational advantage (i.e. lower levels of disadvantage).

Menu analysis

The percentage contribution of each traffic light category to individual school’s menu was calculated (e.g. number of items from green traffic light category/total number of items offered per school) in order to provide a comparison to national guidelines. The mean percentage contribution was then calculated for the overall sample of forty-eight schools. In this sample of forty-eight schools, canteen menus comprised of 21 % ‘green’, 53 % ‘amber’, 25 % ‘red’ and 2 % ‘black’ items (Table 1 ). There were no statistically significant differences in food offerings by ‘green’, ‘amber’, ‘red’ or ‘black’ classification by school sector, school size, ICSEA, presence of a policy or type of school canteen. Whilst the proportion of ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ foods offered was similar by remoteness, there was a significant difference in the proportion of ‘black’ items by remoteness ( P = 0·018). Schools classified as ‘regional centres’ (MM2) had the highest proportion of ‘black’ classified items (9·3 % MM2 v . range of 1–4 % for all other remoteness categories).

Healthiness of items within food categories (meal, snack and beverage)

Of the forty-eight canteen menus, all (100 %) offered mains, forty-five (94 %) offered beverages and forty (83 %) offered snacks. The 1818 menu items were classified into three food categories: meal items ( n 1101), snack items ( n 403) and drinks ( n 314). ‘Green’ classified foods made up 16 % of main meal items ( n 177), 22 % of snack items ( n 87) and 45 % of drink items ( n 141). ‘Amber’ classified foods dominated main (66 %, n 725) and snack (42 %, n 168) items. ‘Red’ items made up approximately one-fifth of main (18 %, n 198), one-quarter of snack (28 %, n 113) and one-third of drink (33 %, n 104) items. ‘Black’ items were most frequent in snacks (9 %, n 35). Data not shown.

In addition to examining the overall frequency (n) of green, amber, red and black items, the percentage contribution of each traffic light category for each food category (main meals, snacks and drinks) was calculated for each individual school (e.g. number of snack items from green traffic light category/total number of snack items offered per school). These results were collated to provide a mean percentage contribution representative of all schools included in the study sample.

Examination of food type (main, snack and beverage) by traffic light categories was conducted. When examining main meal items, on average 14 % were ‘green’, 64 % ‘amber’ and 22 % ‘red’. Of the forty schools that offered snack foods, 22 % were green, 39 % were amber, 32 % were red and 8 % were black. For the forty-five schools that offered drinks, 48 % were green, 19 % were amber and 33 % were red (see online supplementary material, Supplemental Table 1 ).

Examination of ‘red’ and ‘black’ items

Overall, 94 % of canteen menus (forty-five) included at least one ‘red’ or ‘black’ item regularly available. One-third of schools (33 %, sixteen schools) included banned (‘black’) items (see online supplementary material, Supplemental Table 2 ).

The ten most common food categories were selected for an analysis of the discretionary (‘red’ or ‘black’ classification) foods offered (Table 2 ). Of the 451 red or black menu items offered in the menus examined, 429 (95 %) fell into one of these ten categories. The top three most common discretionary food categories were pastry-based hot foods (37 %, e.g. pie and sausage roll), fruit-flavoured drinks (20·5 %, not including 100 % fruit juice) and cakes, muffins, sweet pastries, slices, biscuits, and bars (18·9 %).

Table 2 Frequency of most common ‘red’ and ‘black’ items ( n 48 canteen menus)

No schools provided soft drink (sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages) for purchase.

Adherence to government canteen guidelines

None of the schools in this sample met the guideline of ‘everyday’ (‘green’) menu items making up the majority (more than 50 %) of the menu. Only three schools (6 %) schools met the ‘occasionally’ ‘red’ item guideline (no ‘red’ items regularly available, no ‘black’ items).

Pricing analysis

Overall, the mean prices of all items sold in each menu category were main $3·82 (95 % CI 3·75, 3·90), beverages $2·16 (2·09, 2·23) and snacks $1·45 (1·39, 1·52) (data not shown). The mean prices of cheapest items per menu category were main $2·70 (2·55, 2·84), beverage $1·93 (1·81, 2·05) and snack $0·96 (0·86, 1·06) (Table 3 ). The lowest priced ‘red’ items were cheaper than the lowest priced ‘green’ items in main, beverage and snack categories (Table 3).

Table 3 Univariate regressions comparing price of cheapest item per food category by traffic light classification ( n 48 canteen menus)

* P = 0·013.

† P < 0·001.

‡ P = 0·031.

Of the forty-eight schools offering mains, twenty-nine (60 %) schools offered ‘red’ mains cheaper or offered no ‘green’ mains (Table 4). Three (6 %) schools sold ‘amber’ mains only and sixteen (33 %) schools sold the lowest priced ‘green’ main item cheaper (e.g. salad) or offered no ‘red’ main items (data not shown). In all scenarios, ‘red’ item mains were cheaper than the average ‘green’ item main, when looking at lowest cost items. When looking at lowest cost items, ‘red’ mains were cheaper than ‘green’ mains (mean difference –$0·48 (95 % CI –0·85, –0·10)). Similarly, ‘amber’ mains were cheaper than green mains (–$0·91 (–1·27, –0·57)) (Table 3 ).

Of the forty-five schools offering beverages, twenty-two (49 %) schools sold ‘red’ beverages cheaper than ‘green’ or offered no ‘green’ beverages. Twenty-three (51 %) schools sold ‘green’ beverages cheaper than ‘red’ or offered no ‘red’ beverages, when looking at lowest cost items in each category (data not shown). No other differences were found in the mean price of the cheapest items between ‘red’ and ‘green’, or ‘amber’ and ‘green’ beverage items (Table 3).

Of the schools offering snacks, twenty-six (57 %) schools sold ‘red’ snacks cheaper or offered no ‘green’ snacks and four (9 %) schools sold ‘amber’ snacks only. Sixteen (35 %) schools sold ‘green’ snacks cheaper than ‘red’ or offered no ‘red’ snacks, when looking at lowest cost items (data not shown). ‘Green’ snacks were cheaper than the cheapest ‘amber’ snacks (mean difference –$0·29 (–0·55, –0·03) (Table 3). No other differences were found in the price of the cheapest items between ‘red’ and ‘green’, or ‘amber’ and ‘green’ snack items (Table 3).

Analysis of prices by school characteristics

Unadjusted results showed no clear pattern for association of school characteristics with whether ‘red’ main items were priced cheaper than ‘green’ except for the presence of healthy eating policy (Table 4 ). There were no significant differences found in price of cheapest main item by school characteristic (remoteness, school size, school sector, socio-economic advantage or reports written healthy eating policy) (data not shown). No differences were found when adjusting for traffic light classifications or when examined for interactions between school characteristic and traffic light classifications (all P > 0·01).

Table 4 Unadjusted comparison of the mean price difference between the price of the lowest priced ‘red’ or ‘amber’ main item and ‘green’ main item, by school characteristics ( n 45 schools) *

* Only 45/48 schools sold ‘red’ and/or ‘green’ main menu items. Three schools sold only ‘amber’ mains.

† P -value of interaction between school characteristic and traffic light classification, compared to base category.

Results were similar in the sensitivity analysis when comparing prices of ‘less healthy’ to ‘healthier’ items. ‘Less healthy’ items (‘amber’, ‘red’ and ‘black’ combined) were cheaper than the cheapest ‘healthier’ mains (mean difference –$1·07 (95 % CI –1·42, –0·72)) and snacks (–$0·31 (–0·56, –0·05)). No significant associations were found between menu category prices, or traffic light category, and school characteristics. Data not shown.

This study explored canteen menus in a sample of Victorian schools offering canteen services to primary school-aged children. This study has extended previous canteen analyses to Catholic/independent primary schools, analysed both food (main and snack) and beverage offerings, and examined associations not only with school characteristics such as geographic location and level of disadvantage but also the presence of a written school healthy eating policy. None of the menus analysed were fully compliant with Victorian government guidelines. Unhealthy items dominated school menus, with nine in ten schools providing ‘red’ items and one in six providing ‘black’ food items. In half of schools, ‘red’ mains, beverage and snacks were cheaper than ‘green’ items or offered no ‘green’ snacks. In this sample of canteen menus, there were no clear associations of healthiness and pricing by school characteristics except for regional centres having the highest proportion of ‘black’ items compared with all other remoteness categories examined.

Healthiness of items offered

The current study was consistent with previous Australian studies showing that school canteen menus had poor adherence to state government guidelines ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 , Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 , Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) . Whilst the Victorian state government’s Department of Health provides electronic resources and training opportunities for schools ( 43 ) , it appears there has been little improvement in the healthiness of school canteens since an initial audit was conducted in 2008–2009 ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 ) . Similar to the current study findings of 33 % menus containing black items, the 2008–2009 audit reported 37 % of 106 menus audited to contain a banned item (confectionary and high sugar drinks) and none met traffic light recommendations ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 ) . In 2012, analysis of fifty-one Victorian school canteen menus found that whilst 3 % of menus consisted of red items, only 16 % were compliant with state guidelines ( Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) . Unhealthy food offerings are also common in secondary schools with a recent national study revealing 98·5 % of 244 menus were found to contain one or more ‘red’ items and consequently did not meet canteen guidelines ( Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon 13 ) .

Since 2008–2009, when an initial audit was conducted ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 ) (note a different sample to the current study), there has been little change in the policy and programme environment to support schools to implement healthy canteen changes. Healthy canteen resources already existed ( 9 , 11 , 12 ) , as did a free healthy eating and physical activity programme for Victorian children attending primacy schools called ‘Kids – Go For Your Life’ ( Reference Honisett, Woolcock and Porter 45 , Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Prosser and Carpenter 46 ) . This programme evolved into today’s Achievement Program around 2012 ( 47 ) and still exists today.

One key additional resource developed during this period in 2017 was the free web-based menu planning tool delivered FoodChecker ( 43 ) . Despite the ability to easily check canteen menu items in this online platform, and with free support from HEAS, the healthiness of school canteens did not significantly improve.

Overall, the snacks category had the largest proportion of ‘black’ classified items (7·7 %), particularly in non-government schools (15·4 %). This was not surprising given that canteen guidelines are not mandated in non-government schools in Victoria. The most common red/black food items in this sample of schools included pastry-based hot foods, fruit-flavoured drinks (not including 100 % fruit juice), and cakes, muffins, sweet pastries, slices, biscuits and bars. In order to comply with guidelines and offer more healthy menus for students, canteens and offsite food provision services would need to remove the banned items and replace the ‘red’ ones with healthier alternatives, ideally selected in partnership with students themselves. Many major school suppliers now offer healthier versions of traditionally ‘red’ foods, such as lower fat and lower sodium meat pies, which can be classified as ‘amber’. Resources such as the Victorian Healthy Eating Advisory Service ( 48 ) and the Healthy Kids Association ( 49 ) provided school stakeholders (e.g. school staff, canteen managers and staff, food suppliers) a suite of resources including menu planning and promotion ideas, training and case studies to facilitate identification of healthier options.

Approximately half of schools in this study sold ‘red’ mains, beverage and snacks cheaper or offered no ‘green’ snacks. This study found a similar price difference between ‘less healthy’ and ‘healthy’ mains (–$1·07) as in Billich et al. (–$1·00), who examined 100 primary and 100 secondary school canteen menus across Australia ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . However, the current study found a smaller price difference between ‘less healthy’ and ‘healthy’ snacks (–$0·31) compared to Billich et al. (–$0·70) ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . Similarly, a study by Wyse et al in 2013 of NSW primary school canteen menus found that healthier ‘main meals’ were more expensive than less healthy mains; however, less healthy items ‘drinks’, ‘snacks’ and ‘frozen snacks’ were more expensive than healthier alternatives ( Reference Wyse, Wiggers and Delaney 20 ) . Prices could certainly influence unhealthy choices if consumers are presented with cheaper and unhealthier options which save third to a fifth of the price as presented in the current study (i.e. -0·48c cheaper to buy a red compared to green main, and -0·91c cheaper to buy an amber compared to green main). Prices are known to influence choice, and increased prices for healthier food items is a missed opportunity to incentivise their purchase by children and parents ( Reference Wyse, Wiggers and Delaney 20 ) . Making the healthier option the easiest one for children and parents ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) by pricing them accordingly is crucial.

Association with school socio-demographic characteristics

In this sample of Victorian schools, there was no evidence to support associations between healthiness of menu items or pricing and school characteristics, except for regional centres (MM2) having a higher proportion of ‘black’ items. This finding is in contrast to a previous finding in NSW that higher nutritional quality canteen menus were associated with larger school sizes and in areas of high socio-economic advantage ( Reference Yoong, Nathan and Wyse 24 ) , or a higher odds of having red items on the menu if schools were small, non-government, rurally based ( Reference Hills, Nathan and Robinson 50 ) . In addition to state differences, the findings may also differ between the two studies due to varying measures of socio-economic status (socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) ( Reference Bureau 51 ) v . ICSEA) and remoteness (Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia ( 52 ) v . Modified Monash Model), categorisation of school size, and differing sample size. There is an opportunity to improve the food environment, through healthier canteen menus, and subsequently the child’s diet to reduce long-term health inequities ( 53 ) with mandated and monitored guidelines for all schools.

Implications for public health

This study showed that Victorian canteen menus do not meet healthy guidelines and therefore are not providing environments which encourage healthy diets. Optimising adherence to existing policy in Victoria remains an urgent priority. Government needs to invest in strengthening enforcement of the guidelines to support schools better with healthy food provision (i.e. mandatory guidelines). Adherence of guidelines could be supported by a canteen menu monitoring system (e.g. identify low compliance, increase policy adoption, implementation and impact, and research enablers to compliance) ( Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 , Reference Jilcott, Ammerman and Sommers 54 ) . These opportunities for action, in combination with other strategies, such as nudging – that is, small subtle changes to the physical and social environment to shift student food selection towards healthier options ( 55 , Reference Marcano-Olivier, Horne and Viktor 56 ) , is vital for healthier dietary outcomes in students. Given the large proportion of time children spend at school, the current study findings and recommendations are relevant to all high-income Western countries that have school canteens on site offering food and beverages for purchase.

There has been a recent launch (January 2022) of the Victorian state-wide Vic Kids Eat Well initiative, a movement supported by the Victorian government and delivered by the Cancer Council Victoria and Nutrition Australia ( 57 ) . Vic Kids Eat Well focuses on transforming the food and drink environment for children with schools as a key setting ( 57 ) . In NSW, local-level implementation support has been found to improve adherence to government school nutrition guidelines in the majority of schools, and without having an impact on revenue ( Reference Reilly, Nathan and Wiggers 25 , Reference Wolfenden, Nathan and Janssen 58 ) . Evidence suggests a multi-strategic approach strategies such as a support officer to assist with policy implementation, engagement (principals and parents), co-design and consensus with canteen managers, training, tools, resources, monitoring and feedback to schools, and marketing can improve policy implementation ( Reference Wolfenden, Nathan and Janssen 58 ) . Whilst the strategies of Vic Kids Eat Well are still evolving, the addition of Healthy Kids Advisors to support local implementation along with a multi-strategic approach is optimistic. The current study findings emphasise the need for a focus in regional areas, along with a monitoring system for compliance to guidelines.

The pricing analysis in the current studies reveals opportunities for school food provision, for example, consideration of pricing policies and strategies to subsidise or reduce the cost of healthy menu items ( Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) and disincentivising ‘amber’ products by marking them up a higher proportion ( Reference Wyse, Wiggers and Delaney 20 , 59 ) . Raising prices for unhealthier items can then subsidise healthier items and reduce their price ( Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon 13 ) . There is evidence that pricing the healthiest main meal and snack items as the cheapest may encourage healthier choices ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . Changes to the demand side, for example, school promotional strategies to increase student led demand for healthier items ( Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon 13 ) , may make healthier choices easier for primary school children and more cost-effective for canteens ( Reference Haynes, Morley and Dixon 13 ) . Promotional strategies could include being part of a ‘meal deal’, a special price, labelled with an icon (e.g. smiley face), labelled with words to persuade purchasing and consumption such as ‘tasty’, ‘good value’ and ‘smart choice’, highlighted in an engaging way with graphic design features or colour-coded as per green traffic light system or marked as an ‘everyday’ options ( 11 ) . The increased demand for healthier items may allow bulk purchase and preparation of healthier foods and subsequently reduce costs ( 11 ) . Whilst specific to an online canteen ordering system, recent studies in NSW have revealed consumer behaviour interventions which include menu labelling, positioning, promoting, feedback and incentives can improve purchasing behaviours in primary schools ( Reference Wyse, Delaney and Stacey 26 , Reference Delaney, Wyse and Yoong 28 ) , an effect that has been sustained over 18 months ( Reference Wyse, Delaney and Stacey 27 ) . Healthy canteen changes are more likely to be successful when implemented as part of a whole of school approach with engagement from principals, teachers, students, parents and the wider school community ( Reference Billich, Adderley and Ford 14 ) . Future research could investigate current canteen usage to guide future planning and policy-making, in addition to qualitative data collection on the barriers to implementing and maintaining the guidelines of the government school canteen policy.

Strengths and limitations

This study had a large number of predominantly regional and rural primary schools providing menus. This allowed us to analyse 1818 food items offered in schools and assessed this against gold standard measures of remoteness. This is also the first study to examine adherence, price and healthiness of canteen menus across varying levels of remoteness, using the Modified Monash Model ( 34 ) . The novelty of using this model is that classified metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas according to geographical remoteness and town size into seven categories rather than five using Australian Statistical Geography Standard remoteness structure ( 60 ) . The Modified Monash Model is increasingly being used in studies to examine health-related associations and resource allocation by level of remoteness that considers socio-economic disparities within those areas ( Reference Versace, Skinner and Bourke 61 – Reference Jacobs, Strugnell and Becker 64 ) . A further strength of the current study is that the menu items were assessed by an experienced dietitian and cross-checked by another with 100 % agreement.

The main limitation is the use of a convenience sample – schools were not necessarily representative of Victoria, or geographic regions, or of the characteristics we were interested in such as school type, remoteness or adherence to the guidelines. However, the use of the Modified Monash Model may improve the ability to generalise to other areas ( Reference Versace, Skinner and Bourke 61 ) . A related limitation is that the results may be biased towards schools willing to share their menus with researchers. Schools with less healthy menus may have been more reluctant to share their menus. The canteen menus analysed represent a snapshot in time when they were collected ( n 19 collected in 2016; n 12 in 2017, n 13 in 2018 and n 4 in 2019). Menus and prices may change over time or vary by season ( Reference de Silva-Sanigorski, Breheny and Jones 8 , Reference Woods, Bressan and Langelaan 15 ) and due to canteen staff turnover and possibility that more offsite retailers/catering provision services are being utilised. This will have an impact on the generalisability of the results beyond the study sample. Future research into how offsite food provision is being utilised by school canteens is required. The cross-sectional study design was descriptive, and longitudinal studies to track adherence over time and using consistent measures of remoteness would be beneficial. The FoodChecker tool ( 43 ) was utilised wherever possible for pre-packaged menu items and for recipe analysis; however, some assumptions were made during menu analysis when exact recipes were not available (see online supplementary material, Supplemental File 1 ). For example, dairy products, unless specified as reduced fat, were assumed to be full-fat. Similarly, sandwiches and rolls were assumed to contain margarine even if not stated on the menu, and fruit juices were classified as sweetened fruit drinks, unless identified as being 100 % natural fruit juice or by brand. Such assumptions, although made by an experienced dietitian, may have impacted the results.

In this sample of forty-eight Victorian school canteen menus, there was no evidence of associations of healthiness and pricing by school characteristics except for regional centres having the highest proportion of ‘black’ (banned) items compared to all other remoteness categories examined. Furthermore, the canteen menus showed low adherence to canteen menu guidelines, with many schools still offering a high proportion of banned items. Unhealthier options were found to be less expensive than healthier options. Current Victorian state-wide canteen policies in Victoria have so far not improved the healthiness of school menus. Mandatory canteen policies need to be implemented and greater investment in establishing monitoring and additional support systems to enable healthy and affordable canteen menu items to be the easy choice for children, canteen managers and food service providers.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank and acknowledge the Deakin University data collection team members. The authors thank all school staff for taking time to participate in these studies. The authors would also like to thank our community partners for providing support including Portland District Health, Western Alliance, Southern Grampians and Glenelg Primary Care Partnership, Colac Area Health, Southwest Primary Care Partnership, Portland Hamilton Principal Network of Schools, Colac Corangamite Network of Schools, The Glenelg Shire Council, Southern Grampians Shire Council, Warrnambool and District Network of Schools, Western District Health Service, and Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. Note: the opinion and analysis in this paper are those of the authors and do not represent those of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Victorian government, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or the Victorian Minister for Health.

This study was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Project titled ‘Whole of Systems Trial of Prevention Strategies for childhood obesity: WHO STOPS Childhood Obesity’ (GNT1114118). This study was further financially supported by Goulburn Valley’s Primary Care Partnership and Western Alliance. During this time, SA was partly supported by funding from an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council/Australian National Heart Foundation Career Development Fellowship (GNT1045836). During this time, LA, MN, CB, PF, HL, CS and SA were researchers within a National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence in Obesity Policy and Food Systems (GNT1041020). MN was supported by NHMRC Ideas grant GNT2002334. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the views of the NHMRC.

The authors have none to declare

K.A.B. conceptualised the study. With support from K.A.B., A.H. and L.A. conducted the menu coding; A.H. conducted the menu analysis, and M.B. conducted the pricing analysis. A.H. led the writing of the manuscript with support from K.A.B.. M.B., L.A., M.N., C.B., P.F., H.L., C.S. and S.A. contributed to interpretation of findings and writing of manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

The study was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki, and all procedure involving research study participants were approved by Deakin University’s Human Research Ethics Committee (2014_297 and 2018_381), the Victorian Department of Education and Training (2015_002622 and 2019–003943), the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Ballarat, and Sandhurst. Informed verbal consent was obtained from all principals of schools participating in this study.

For supplementary material accompanying this paper visit https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898002300126X

Article updated 19 October 2023.

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How healthy and affordable are foods and beverages sold in school canteens? A cross-sectional study comparing menus from Victorian primary schools – ERRATUM

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Volume 26, Issue 11
Amy Hill (a1) , Miranda Blake (a1) , Laura Veronica Alston (a1) (a2) (a3) , Melanie S Nichols (a1) , Colin Bell (a1) (a4) , Penny Fraser (a1) (a4) , Ha ND Le (a1) , Claudia Strugnell (a1) , Steven Allender (a1) and Kristy A Bolton (a1) (a5)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898002300126X

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Essay on School canteen | School canteen Essay

Essay – school canteen.

School Canteen is a very favourite place of all students. The school canteen doesn’t only provide food to the students but also wonderful memories. The school I have been studying had a very small canteen selling only packaged foods for munching such as chips, cakes, biscuits etc. It was a small space comprising of 3 tables & 9 chairs. During winters the canteen also used to sell soups.

The third food counter had the homely food items meant for lunch, such as roti, Paratha, various types of sabjis, curries, even rice, dal etc was served for the hostel students mainly. The lunch served was made of less oil & spices. The items were tasty as well as full of nutrition. The school canteen always served hot, warm food to the students. The potato staffed Paratha was very tasty & mostly had by the students. The school canteen only served vegetarian food to the students. The third counter had a huge rush during the lunch break. But later on the amount of chair & tables were decreased because of the increased of gossip & chit-chat at the student.

Paragraph on School Canteen

Students are often asked to write a paragraph on School Canteen in their schools. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 200-word, and 250-word paragraphs on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

Paragraph on School Canteen in 100 Words

A school canteen is a special place where students eat lunch. It is like a big kitchen with lots of yummy food. Kids can buy sandwiches, fruits, and milk there. There are long tables and benches where friends sit together and share their food. The people who work in the canteen wear hats and gloves to keep the food clean. They smile and serve meals to the kids. After eating, students must throw away trash in bins to keep the canteen neat. The school canteen is not just for eating but also for laughing and talking with friends during the break.

Paragraph on School Canteen in 200 Words

A school canteen is a special place where students go to eat their lunch or grab a quick snack during breaks. Imagine a room filled with the smell of tasty food, where you can hear the sound of friends chatting and laughing. The canteen is like the heart of the school, always busy and full of life. It has a counter where you stand in line to get your food, and behind it, kind people wearing hats and aprons serve you meals. The menu has lots of choices, like sandwiches, fruits, milk, juice, and sometimes even pizza or burgers! There are long tables and benches where everyone sits together. You can share food with your friends, talk about your day, and enjoy a nice break from classes. The canteen is also a place where you learn to make choices about what to eat and to pick healthy foods that give you energy to learn and play. It’s not just about eating; it’s where you learn to wait for your turn, to be polite while asking for your favorite cookie, and to keep your eating area clean for the next person. A school canteen is a fun and important part of your day at school!

Paragraph on School Canteen in 250 Words

A school canteen is a special place where students go to eat and take a break during their busy school day. It’s a lively part of the school where you can see friends sharing food, stories, and laughter. Picture this: rows of tables and chairs where students sit and eat their meals, with the smell of tasty food in the air. The canteen serves different kinds of food, from sandwiches and salads to hot meals and snacks. It’s important that the food is not only delicious but also healthy because good food helps your brain and body grow strong. The people who work there are usually very friendly, always ready to serve you what you would like to eat or answer any questions you might have about the menu. In the canteen, you can also learn about making good food choices and how to manage your pocket money when buying your lunch or a treat. The place is kept clean by staff, and students are expected to help by throwing away their trash after eating, to keep it nice for everyone. Safety is also a big part of the canteen’s rules; hot food is handled with care, and there’s always someone to help if an accident happens. The school canteen is more than just a place to eat; it’s where you can relax with your friends and recharge for the rest of the school day. It’s a cheerful spot that plays an important part in your school life.

That’s it! I hope the paragraphs have helped you.

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Students’ food consumption in a school canteen : analysis of what they choose from the canteen gallery and what they discard, by gender and age

2013, The 4th European Conference on Health Education Schools Equity Education and Health

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Consumption habits of school canteen and non-canteen users among Norwegian young adolescents: a mixed method analysis

Arthur Chortatos ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1052-329X 1 ,
Laura Terragni 1 ,
Sigrun Henjum 1 ,
Marianne Gjertsen 1 ,
Liv Elin Torheim 1 &
Mekdes K Gebremariam 2 , 3

BMC Pediatrics volume 18 , Article number: 328 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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Food/drinks available to adolescents in schools can influence their dietary behaviours, which once established in adolescence, tend to remain over time. Food outlets’ influence near schools, known to provide access to unhealthy food/drinks, may also have lasting effects on consumption behaviours. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of the consumption habits of adolescents in the school arena by comparing different personal characteristics and purchasing behaviours of infrequent and regular school canteen users to those never or seldom using the canteen.

A convergent mixed methods design collected qualitative and quantitative data in parallel. A cross-sectional quantitative study including 742 adolescents was conducted, with data collected at schools via an online questionnaire. Focus group interviews with students and interviews with school administrators formed the qualitative data content. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression; thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data.

Sixty-seven percent of adolescents reported never/rarely using the school canteen (NEV), whereas 13% used it ≥2 times per week (OFT). When the two groups were compared, we found a significantly higher proportion of the NEV group were female, having parents with a high education, and with a high self-efficacy, whilst a significantly higher proportion of the OFT group consumed salty snacks, baked sweets, and soft-drinks ≥3 times per week, and breakfast at home < 5 days in the school week. The OFT group had significantly higher odds of purchasing food/drink from shops near school during school breaks and before/after school compared to the NEV group (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.80, 95% CI 1.07–3.01, and aOR = 3.61, 95% CI 2.17–6.01, respectively). The interviews revealed most students ate a home packed lunch, with the remainder purchasing either at the school canteen or at local shops.

Conclusions

Students using the canteen often are frequently purchasing snacks and sugar-soft drinks from shops near school, most likely owing to availability of pocket money and an emerging independence. School authorities must focus upon satisfying canteen users by providing desirable, healthy, and affordable items in order to compete with the appeal of local shops.

Peer Review reports

The school environment is an arena where many dietary norms and habits are established which potentially affect the individual throughout their future lives [ 1 ]. Owing to the considerable amount of time adolescents spend at school during the average weekday, it has been estimated that approximately one third of their food and drink is consumed in the school environment [ 2 , 3 ].

Environments which encourage a high energy intake and sedentary behaviour amongst adolescents are termed obesogenic environments, and such environments are considered to be one of the main elements behind the rapid increase in overweight and obesity among children and adolescents [ 4 ].

In this regard, the local food environment of schools, including arenas such as supermarkets and convenience stores close to the schools, is an environmental influence potentially affecting the quality of the food intake of attending adolescents [ 5 ]. Providing healthy food and drinks to adolescents in schools via canteens or vending machines plays an important role in modelling a healthy diet, particularly for those who may not have access to healthy food outside school hours, thereby making school nutrition policies a powerful tool for improving students’ nutritional status and academic achievement [ 6 ]. Yet in the school environment, foods consumed are not always obtained from on-campus sources. Research upon supermarkets and convenience stores located in the vicinity of schools has reported that these venues provide an increased accessibility to unhealthy foods and drink for school-going adolescents [ 7 ].

The Øvre Romerike region, located in the eastern part of Norway, has a total area of 2,055,550 km 2 , and composed of 6 municipalities housing approximately 100,000 people [ 8 ]. The 2016 average net income for all households in the region was 456,667 NOK, compared to the national average of 498,000 NOK for the same period [ 9 ]. In our recent investigation upon adolescents in Øvre Romerike, we reported that 33% of participants purchased food or drink in their school canteen at least once a week [ 10 ]. In addition, 27% and 34% of participants reported purchasing food and drinks from shops around schools one or more times a week, either during school breaks or on their way to or from school, respectively [ 10 ].

Investigations on adolescent behaviour in Norway and elsewhere have reported similar results, whereby approximately 30% of school-going adolescents visit local food stores for nourishment, whilst the majority are consuming their lunches at school [ 11 , 12 ].

In Norway, the average school day includes a lunch period in the middle of the day [ 13 ], and most students travel to school with a home packed lunch, usually consisting of bread slices with various toppings [ 14 , 15 ]. School canteens are often run by catering staff, with students in need of more practical education sometimes included in food preparation and selling. It is not uncommon for the canteen to be managed on a daily or occasional basis by students together with a teacher as a part of their education. School canteens most commonly offer baguettes, waffles, milk (regular or chocolate), juice, cakes and, perhaps, fruit [ 16 , 17 ]. The Norwegian Directorate of Health regularly publishes guidelines concerning school meals and eating environments, with the most recent published in 2015 [ 18 ]. The latest guidelines offer suggestions regarding topics such as length of meal times, hygiene, fresh water accessibility, the absence of sugar-rich foods and drinks, and the reduction of saturated fats on offer. The guidelines are published as a tool to assist school administration in their management of school canteens.

Eating behaviour amongst adolescents is a complex theme often involving an interplay of multiple influences and factors such as peer influence [ 19 ] and a desire to socialise whilst eating [ 20 ], a combination which often leans toward unhealthy eating practices. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for young Norwegian teens to receive pocket money [ 21 ], and this emerging autonomy aided by pocket money increases the prospect for a disruption of dietary behaviour established in the home [ 22 ].

As the school food environment has such a significant impact on food choices [ 23 , 24 ], a better understanding of adolescent’s consumption behaviour demands further attention. In particular, understanding student’s shift away from home packed lunches and canteen foods towards the appeal of off-campus shop food is necessary for implementing the successful promotion of healthier lunch alternatives at school.

The aim of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the consumption habits of adolescents in the Norwegian school lunch arena. Unlike previous ESSENS studies, here we use quantitative data combined with qualitative interviews among adolescents and school administration, in order to explore the purchasing behaviour and lifestyle demographics of the sample grouped as frequent and infrequent school canteen users compared to those never or rarely using the canteen.

Design and sample

The participants in this study were students and staff from eleven secondary schools participating in the Environmental determinantS of dietary behaviorS among adolescENtS (ESSENS) cross-sectional study [ 10 , 25 ]. Recruitment of students and staff was initiated by our making contact with principals of the twelve secondary schools in the Øvre Romerike district, after first having received permission from district school leaders. The school principals were each sent a letter detailing key elements of the proposed intervention, as well as information regarding the ESSENS study, together with a permission form requesting their school’s participation. Of the twelve secondary schools invited to participate in the study, eleven accepted the invitation.

In this mixed method approach, our sample were grouped as being part of either a quantitative or qualitative data source.

Recruitment of sample

Quantitative recruitment.

In October 2015 we recruited 8th grade adolescents for participation in a questionnaire survey. An informative letter was sent home with all 1163 adolescents in the 8th grade (average age of 12–13 years) from the 11 participating schools, containing a consent form for signing and with additional questions relating to parental education levels. A total of 781 (67%) received parental consent for participation. As the range of ages of the sample represents the lower end of the adolescent scale (10–19 years), the use of the term ‘adolescent’ here implies ‘young adolescent’. A total of 742 adolescents (64% of those invited and 95% of those with parental consent) participated in the survey. Quantitative data collection took place between October and December 2015.

Qualitative recruitment

Recruitment of adolescents to participate in the qualitative part of the study was also facilitated by approaching principals of district schools as described above, and was completed between October 2015 and January 2016. Six of the 11 participating schools were selected for qualitative data collection based upon criteria such as location (being in one of the six municipalities of Øvre Romerike), and size (based upon number of students attending). The aim was to include schools with a varied profile, with proximity to city centers, shops, and collective transport as determining factors. Thereafter a selection process for participation in the focus groups was conducted, whereby two students per class were sought after, representing both sexes. Further inclusion criteria stipulated that the students be in the 9th grade, had attended Food and Health classes, and currently lived in the Øvre Romerike area with either one or both parents.

Data collection

Quantitative data.

A web-based questionnaire was used to collect data from the adolescents, using the LimeSurvey data collection tool. The questionnaires were answered at school, taking approximately 30–45 min to complete, and queried respondents about their nutritional intake, parental rules regarding food and drink consumption, students’ school canteen and surrounding shop use, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour habits. Research group members were present during data collection to answer questions and make sure the adolescents responded independently from each other. The questionnaire relating to food behaviours completed by the sample is available online (see Additional file 1 : Appendix 1 ESSENS questionnaire relating to food behaviours).

A pilot test of the survey was conducted parallel with this process in a neighboring municipality with similar age students from the 8th grade ( n = 23). The students spent approximately 30–40 min to complete the survey, and then provided feedback regarding comprehension. The questionnaire was subsequently shortened and some questions rephrased for clarity. The results of the pilot test were not included in the final results.

Qualitative data

Focus group interviews were conducted over a period of 10 weeks, from November 2015 to January 2016. Focus group settings were favoured as they provide a more relaxed setting for data collection, facilitating the flow of a natural conversation amongst peers, especially when adult researchers interact with young subjects [ 26 ].

Six focus group interviews including a total of 55 students (29 girls, 26 boys) from the 9th grade with an average age of 13–14 years were conducted. Interviews had a duration of approximately 60 min. In addition, interview sessions with headmasters and teachers for the 9th grade students from the participating schools were also conducted. Interviews with 6 teachers (4 women and 2 men) and 6 headmasters (3 women and 3 men) were conducted from October 2015 to January 2016. The interviews with principals and teachers were each conducted separately.

Qualitative data collection took place at the selected schools using an audio recorder, with a semi-structured interview guide used for the interviews, partially inspired by a previous study conducted amongst 11–13 year old Norwegian adolescents [ 27 ]. The main themes explored by the focus group sessions were students’ eating habits, their definition of healthy and unhealthy food, attitudes towards and their impact upon diet and physical activity, as well as the student’s assessment of opportunities and barriers attached to health-promoting behaviour. School administration interviews probed food availability and meals served at the school, as well as physical activity options available for students at the schools. The interview guides used for the focus groups and the school administration are available online (see Additional file 2 : Appendix 2 Interview guide for focus group interviews, and Additional file 3 : Appendix 3 Interview guide for headmasters and teachers).

Interviews were transcribed verbatim, with names of the participants and of the schools anonymised. Interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis approach [ 28 ]. Codes were developed after an initial reading of all the transcripts and were based on the main interview questions, prior research, and emergent concepts from the current data. The initial codes were discussed among researchers and a codebook was developed. The codes were further refined during coding of subsequent transcripts. Codes were then successively grouped into general themes. The data analysis was supported by the use of NVivo software (version 10.0; QSR International, Cambridge, Mass).

Pilot testing of the intended focus group question guide was performed in October 2015 in a school belonging to a neighbouring district. After written consent was obtained from the principal of the school, 6 students from the 9th grade were selected by a 9th grade teacher from the school. Three girls and 3 boys were included in the focus group pilot test. A moderator conducted the focus group following an interview guide in order to test comprehension and flow of the planned themes. The pilot test proved effective and consequently no changes were made to the interview guide. Data from the pilot testing was not included in the results of the study.

Recruitment of school staff for participation in in-depth interviews was also facilitated by the agreement with administrative school leaders as described above. A written invitation was sent to principals and teachers of the 9th grade classes from the same 6 schools participating in focus group interviews. Those agreeing were later contacted by phone to arrange a place and time for the interview.

Pilot testing of school staff interviews was performed in October 2015 in a school belonging to a neighbouring district. Two interviews were conducted with one headmaster and one teacher separately in order to assess the comprehension and flow of the various themes probed, as well as the time used for the interview. Data from the pilot testing was not included in the results of the study.

The following measures obtained from the questionnaire were used in the quantitative analyses of the present study.

Sociodemographic measures

Two questions assessing parental education (guardian 1 and guardian 2) were included on the parental informed consent form for the adolescent. Parental education was categorised as low (12 years or less of education, which corresponded to secondary education or lower) or high (13 years or more of education, which corresponded to university or college attendance). The parent with longest education, or else the one available, was used in analysis. Participants were divided into either ethnic Norwegian or ethnic minority, with minorities defined as those having both parents born in a country other than Norway [ 29 ].

Dietary behaviours

Frequency of carbonated sugar-sweetened soft-drink intake (hereafter referred to as soft-drinks) during weekdays was assessed using a frequency question with categories ranging from never/seldom to every weekday. Weekday frequency was categorised as less than three times per week and three or more times per week.

The questions assessing the intake of soft-drinks have been validated among 9- and 13-year-old Norwegians using a 4-day pre-coded food diary as the reference method, and moderate Spearman’s correlation coefficients were obtained [ 30 ].

Consumption of fruits and vegetables (raw and cooked) were assessed using frequency questions with eight response categories ranging from never/seldom to three times per day or more. These were further categorised as less than five times per week and five or more times per week. The questions assessing intake of fruits and vegetables have been validated among 11-year-olds with a 7-day food record as the reference method and were found to have a satisfactory ability to rank subjects according to their intake of fruits and vegetables [ 31 ].

The consumption of snacks [sweet snacks (chocolate/sweets), salty snacks (e.g. potato chips), and baked sweets (sweet biscuits/muffins and similar)] was assessed using three questions with seven response categories ranging from never/seldom to two times per day or more. These were further categorised as less than three times per week and three or more times per week. Acceptable to moderate test-retest reliability have been obtained for these measures of dietary behaviours in a previous Norwegian study conducted among 11-year-olds [ 27 ].

Self-efficacy related to the consumption of healthy foods was assessed using a scale with six items [e.g. Whenever I have a choice of the food I eat. .., I find it difficult to choose low-fat foods (e.g. fruit or skimmed milk rather than ‘full cream milk’)]. Responses were further categorised as those with ‘high’ self-efficacy (score of 3.5 or higher, from a scale of 1–5) or ‘low’ self-efficacy (under 3.5, from a scale of 1–5). The scale has been found to have adequate reliability and factorial validity among 13-year-olds [ 32 ].

Adolescents’ breakfast consumption was assessed using one question asking the adolescents on how many schooldays per week they normally ate breakfast. The answers were categorised as those eating breakfast 5 times per week or less than 5 times per week. This question has shown evidence of moderate test-retest reliability (percentage agreement of 83 and 81% respectively for weekday and weekend measures) and moderate construct validity (percentage agreement of 80 and 87% respectively for weekday and weekend measures) among 10–12 year old European children [ 27 ].

Food/drink purchases in school environment

The adolescents were asked how often they purchased foods or drinks from school canteens and on their way to and from school (answer categories ranging from ‘never’ to ‘every day’). The frequency of purchase of food/drinks at the school canteen were then re-categorised into ‘never/rarely’, ‘once per week’, or ‘two or more times per week’. The frequency of purchase of food/drinks at off-campus food stores were re-categorised into ‘never/rarely’, or ‘one or more times per week’. They were also asked about the presence of food sales outlets (e.g. supermarket, kiosk, or gas station) in a walking distance from their school (with answer categories ‘none’, ‘yes, one’, ‘yes, two’, and ‘yes, more than two’), with results categorised as ‘less than 3’ or ‘3 or more’.

Further details regarding data collection and methodology in the ESSENS study have been described previously [ 10 ]. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the Norwegian Social Science Data Service (NSD 2015/44365). Written informed consent was obtained from all parents of participating students.

Statistical analyses

The study sample was divided into three groups, those who reported ‘never or rarely’ using the school canteen (NEV), those using the canteen once per week (SEL), and those reporting use of the school canteen ‘two or more times during the week’ (OFT). Results are presented as frequencies (%), with chi-square tests performed to examine differences in sociodemographic, behavioural, and dietary characteristics between the three groups. A further logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the adjusted associations between canteen use and dietary habits (salty snacks, baked sweets, soft-drinks, and home breakfast frequency). Adjustment was made for significant sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics (gender, parental education, self-efficacy) and shop use (during school break and before/after school). Logistic regression was also used to explore the adjusted association between visiting shops during school breaks or before/after school (‘never/rarely’, ‘one or more times per week’), and use of canteen (NEV, SEL, OFT). Results are presented as crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Cases with missing data were excluded from relevant analyses. Because schools were the unit of measurement in this study, we checked for clustering effect through the linear mixed model procedure. Only 3% of the unexplained variance in the dietary behaviours investigated was at the school level, hence adjustment for clustering effect was not done.

A significance level of 0.05 was used. All analyses were performed using SPSS 24.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA).

Sample demographics

The mean age of the survey sample was 13.6 years ±0.3 standard deviation, 53% of participants were females, and 60% had parents with a high level of education (≥13y, Table 1 ). The proportion of adolescents who never or rarely used the school canteen was 67.4%. When comparing demographics and behavioural characteristics for the sample grouped as those using the school canteen never/rarely (NEV), those using the canteen once a week (SEL, 19.7%), and those using the canteen two or more times a week (OFT, 12.9%), we found a significantly higher proportion of the NEV group were female, having parents with a high education, and with a high self-efficacy.

Canteen use and dietary habits

When analysing the dietary habits for the sample grouped by frequency of canteen use, a significantly higher proportion of the OFT group reported consuming salty snacks, baked sweets, and soft-drinks ≥3 times per school week, and a significantly higher proportion of the NEV group reported eating breakfast 5 days in the school week compared to the SEL and OFT groups (Table 2 ). A multiple logistic regression was conducted to assess whether these significant associations between canteen use and dietary behaviours persisted after adjustment for gender, parental education, self-efficacy, and use of shops (both during and before/after school). The difference between NEV, SEL, and OFT adolescents regarding baked sweets thereafter became non-significant. However, the difference between NEV and OFT adolescents regarding salty snacks, soft-drinks, and breakfast consumption remained significant, indicating that adolescents using the canteen ≥2 times per week had increased odds for consuming salty snacks and soft-drinks (aOR 2.05, 95% CI 1.07–3.94, p < 0.03, and aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.16–4.65, p < 0.02, respectively, data not shown). Additionally, the OFT group had reduced odds of consuming breakfast at home daily (aOR 0.48, 95% CI 0.28–0.80, p = 0.005, data not shown). No significant differences between the three groups were found for the other food items explored.

School environment

When comparing the frequency of food purchases at shops during school breaks or on the way to/from school for the NEV, SEL, and OFT groups, we found that a significantly higher proportion of OFT adolescents reported purchasing food/drink from a shop near school either during school breaks or else before or after school, one or more times during the week (Table 3 ). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the OFT group had significantly higher odds of purchasing food/drink from a shop near school, either during school breaks or else before or after school, than the NEV group (aOR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.07–3.01, and aOR = 3.61, 95% CI 2.17–6.01, respectively, Table 4 ).

Results of focus group and interview analyses

The data from the focus group interviews indicated that students were aware of issues related to food and health. A number of the relevant themes which emerged are outlined below.

Student’s lunch habits

The majority of students confirmed that most foods consumed at school were brought from home. Some students, however, stated that the other option was to purchase foods from either the canteen or local shops:

Interviewer: ….do you bring a packed lunch from home regularly? Boy2: We usually tend to buy something from the canteen. Girl5: It’s kind of both in a way. Girl5: Yes. Ehm, it is usually both, there are many who have food with them also. Also you are free to buy something. Boy1: Yes, that’s common…there are quite a few who tend to buy food at the canteen and, yes, the shop.

One teacher suggested it was the presence of pocket money that determined the source of a student’s lunch:

Teacher1: It is an incredibly large amount of money they have to buy canteen food with, especially in the 8th grade…so that means they do not have so much food with them from home, but buy it instead.

Types of foods purchased at school canteen, students’ impression of canteen

In response to the types of foods available for purchase at the canteen, student’s representing different schools reported similar food items. Overall, the students at all schools expressed a level of dissatisfaction with the healthiness of the food/drinks offered by the canteen:

Interviewer: What is the most popular items people buy [at the canteen]? Boy2: Mainly toasted sandwiches Boy2: And wraps Boy3: Eh, maybe a baguette with ham and cheese Boy1: Whole-wheat bread with cheese and ham. Capsicum maybe. Boy2: There are many different drinks one can buy, as well as yoghurt of various kinds. There is also a main thing available too, such as a baguette, pizza, or something similar. Boy2: There are many who buy toasted sandwiches and wraps. Interviewer: What can be done better in order to make other students or yourselves eat healthier from the school’s part?. Girl3: They can begin to sell more fruit and such at the canteen. Boy4: We could have healthier drink offers [from the canteen]…such as smoothies… Girl2:…and switch chocolate milk with plain milk. Boy3: [The canteen] should have healthier alternatives, not just unhealthy white-flour baguettes …with a little cheese, bit of ham and a little butter…..

Peer influence, perceived peer self-efficacy regarding healthy eating

There were questions designed to assess if students perceived other students as being more concerned with healthy eating. Those bringing food from home or considered ‘sporty’ were often perceived as eating healthy food, with the overall impression that those perceived as eating healthy tended to not purchase food at the canteen:

Interviewer: …do you think there are some in your class then, that are more concerned with eating healthy than others? Boy3: Yes, there are. Interviewer: Who are they then? Boy3: Those who ski. Interviewer: How do you know that? Or, what is it that makes them stand out? Boy2: They….don’t buy food at the canteen. Boy4: They eat healthy food Boy1: Those that eat relatively healthy food as a rule usually prepare food themselves.

A number of school staff commented upon the influence some students’ lunch habits had upon others:

Teacher6: …if there is one who begins to drop home brought food because it is boring, it become contagious over other’s behaviour I think, and then it isn’t cool to eat home packed lunches. They are at a very vulnerable age, and very affected by such things I believe. Teacher2: …(food choices are affected by) what food they have at home, how much money they have in their pocket, and what their friends eat. I think it is these three things. And I think some….won’t bring out their home packed lunch because it is not cool enough.

Prices, timing, and permission for visiting shops

In many instances, it was reported that although leaving school grounds was not allowed during school hours in individual school policy, many students frequently did so in order to visit local food shops during breaks. There were reports of shop visits outside school hours as well (before/after school). Some students also discussed the cheaper prices at the shops, as compared to the school canteen, as being an incentive to purchase from shops.

Girl2: We have some in the class that shoot off to the shops to buy some sort of fast food every day. Interviewer: So you are allowed to leave the school in your free time to buy food? Girl2: No, but after school or right before. Girl4:......They go over [to the shops] when the lunch break starts, then you see them come back when everyone has to go outside then. Boy4: Because then there are no teachers out......and then it is easy to take a trip to the shops and... Boy1: Buy cheaper things. Because they sell at a high price here.

The paradox between students visiting shops in school hours, although not allowed, was also pointed out by school staff:

Teacher1: …no, it is not allowed (to go to the shops), but there are some that do it anyway. Headmaster6: ...of course the schools must represent counterculture in some way….so our students go to the shops…and then they make use of the offers that are there…as long as they have money from home. Teacher2: …and they prefer to go (to the shops) in a group at the same time, because it is social and fun.

Types of foods purchased in shops

When questioned about the types of items purchased at the shops, the majority were in consensus that unhealthy snacks such as sweets, baked goods, and soft-drinks were mainly purchased. No participant mentioned the purchase of healthy food from the shops.

Interviewer: What do people mostly buy there then? You mentioned sweet buns..[Looks at Girl1] Boy2: Both sweet buns and doughnuts. Girl1: There are many that buy candy after school and such. Boy4: There are always some who always have money and always buy candy and such. Just like one I know who bought 1 kg of gingerbread dough here after school one day and sat down and ate it. Girl2: Mostly those….soft drinks Girl1: Soft drinks Boy1: Candy and ice-tea. Boy2: People don’t buy food at the shop…most buy themselves candy.

Adherence of school administration to guidelines for school meals

When school staff were asked about the implementation of the latest guidelines from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, most pointed out that they already offered the suggested timespan suggested for lunch, whilst others had yet to read the document.

Teacher1: We have heard there is something new that has come, but we have not spent a lot of time discussing it amongst ourselves. Teacher2: No, no relationship with them (new guidelines). I'm not sure. We do not sell sodas and juice in the cafeteria, but they [students] have it from home. Teacher3: Hehe, I don’t think I’ve seen them, no…(laughs). Headmaster1: So, what we do is to make sure that they have a good place to eat and that they have peace….we offer supervision and they do have a long enough lunch break, is it 20 minutes they should have? Headmaster2: I just have to be honest, I do not think we have come far with these.

We found the NEV group were mainly female, having a high self-efficacy regarding the consumption of healthy foods, and with parents having an education over 12 years. By contrast, the OFT adolescents had a significantly higher proportion of males consuming salty snacks, baked sweets, and soft-drinks 3 or more times a week, as well as consuming breakfast less than 5 times a week when compared to the other groups, also when controlling for gender, parental education, self-efficacy, and use of shops (both during and before/after school).

When comparing the frequency of purchasing food and drink from local shops for these groups, we found the OFT group had a significantly higher proportion purchasing food/drink from shops near the school, both during the school break as well as before or after school, one or more times per week. Logistic regression analyses revealed the OFT group had nearly twice the odds for visiting shops during the school break, and significantly higher odds for visiting shops before/after school than the NEV group of adolescents.

Of the adolescents featured in this sample, females were revealed as more likely to never or rarely use the school canteen, a finding supported by previous research amongst adolescents [ 33 , 34 ]. That females have been previously reported as having a greater self-efficacy related to healthy eating [ 35 ] may help to explain this result, although another study involving over 1200 students of comparable age found no significant difference in self-efficacy regarding gender [ 36 ]. As 67% of the sample stated that they never or rarely use the school canteen, this then begs the question of what form of lunch this group are consuming. Many of the interviews have mentioned the consumption of home packed lunches, and studies of school lunch habits amongst Norwegian adolescents have previously detailed the importance and predominance of the home packed lunch in Norwegian culture [ 37 , 38 ], with over 60% of young Norwegians reporting a packed lunch for consumption at school, a proportion similar to the results we present here. This figure is also consistent with global reports examining school lunch eating practises [ 39 ].

Our results profile the OFT group as being mostly male, skipping breakfast, with a high frequency of shop visits during and on the way to/from school, and with a higher frequency of snacks, baked sweets, and soft-drinks, elements which have featured in previous studies regarding adolescent consumer behaviour [ 12 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. A clear association between adolescents skipping breakfast and subsequent purchases of foods from shops and fast food outlets, usually on the way to or from school [ 42 , 44 , 45 , 46 ], in addition to other health-compromising behaviours [ 47 ] have been previously reported.

Although direct questions regarding pocket money were absent from our study, its role in the behaviour of this sample is evident from statements mentioning money use in the school administration interviews as well as alluded to in focus group interviews. Additionally, it stands to reason that adolescents using the school canteen often (i.e. the OFT group) would be equipped with money in order to make such purchases, as financial purchases are the norm in Norwegian secondary schools [ 48 ]. Research directed upon adolescents and pocket money has presented a number of findings that support our results regarding the OFT group, whereby access to spending money was associated with an increase of nutritionally poor food choices by adolescents, such as the increased consumption of fast-foods, soft-drinks, and unhealthy snacks off campus [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. These results may also be indicative of a gender imbalance in regards to pocket money provisions, where some studies report upon more males than females receiving pocket money [ 54 , 55 ].

The mean age of this sample previously has been described as a stage in life of an emerging autonomy for young individuals, an autonomy which is exercised in terms of disposable income use and consumption of foods away from home [ 42 , 56 , 57 ]. This period of emerging autonomy may also manifest unhealthy eating behaviours as a strategy to forge identity amongst adolescents [ 58 ]. Frequent mention by students and staff in this study of themes relating to peer influence and defiance of school rules support the link between rebelliousness and unhealthy eating. Moreover, it has been reported previously that foods independently purchased by adolescents are often unhealthy, forbidden or frowned upon by parents, and express a defiant period of appearing ‘cool’ among peers, especially amongst males [ 37 , 59 , 60 , 61 ], all of which support our findings here, particularly regarding gender, self-efficacy, and peer influence.

Value for money and dissatisfaction with the school canteen were frequently mentioned in the focus group interviews, and are elements that may be affecting choices made by the groups in this study. Statements concerning student dissatisfaction with canteen prices and/or the limited healthy options available have also appeared in previous research [ 35 , 37 , 38 , 42 ]. That many of the school administrators interviewed seemed barely aware of the guidelines published by the Norwegian Directorate of Health is an alarming result, and likely adds some degree of weight upon student discontent with the school canteen. Although nearly all reports from the focus groups indicate the shops were used for unhealthy purchases, the possibility that shop purchases are a result of some adolescent’s need for healthier lunch alternatives cannot be dismissed completely.

The focus group interviews together with the quantitative data support the notion of healthy eaters avoiding the school canteen, opting instead for a home packed lunch. This view is further supported by previous reports that home prepared lunches help contribute to a healthy dietary pattern [ 39 , 62 , 63 ]. Furthermore, it has been reported that students consuming a lunch from home have significantly lower odds of consuming off-campus food during the school week [ 41 ], which further concurs with the results presented here.

By contrast, those often using the canteen – which, by all reports, could improve the healthiness of items offered – are using the off-campus shops often, purchasing mainly unhealthy snacks and drinks.

The strengths of the study include a large sample size with a high response rate at the school level, and moderate response rate at the parental level. Using a mixed method approach also provides a more comprehensive assessment of adolescent school lunch behaviours, allowing a fuller understanding of this and other adolescent food-behaviour settings by contrasting the adolescent’s own experiences with quantitative results. That the quantitative material, based on cross-sectional data, precludes any opportunity for causal inference to be made may be one of the prime weaknesses of this study. Quantitative data regarding adherence to national policy regarding school canteens, pocket money and what items it was spent upon, as well as data regarding the content and frequency of home packed lunch consumption, were also lacking from the study, where inclusion of these elements in the various analyses would have considerably strengthened the quality of results. Furthermore, reliance upon self-reported data may have led to issues regarding validity and reliability, particularly with a sample of young adolescents.

We found the majority of adolescents (67.4%) in this sample rarely or never used the school canteen. Those adolescents using the school canteen two or more times a week were also the group most likely to be purchasing food/drink from a shop near the school, either during school breaks or before/after school. This group also tended to skip breakfast and consume snacks and soft-drinks more frequently compared to the adolescents who rarely or never used the school canteen. These findings highlight a lack of satisfaction of items available for consumption at the school canteen, with adolescents intending to use the school canteen preferring instead the shops for foods that are cheaper and more desirable. Future strategies aimed at improving school food environments need to address the elements of value for money and appealing healthy food availability in the school canteen, as well as elements such as peer perception and self-identity attained from adolescent food choices, especially in contrast to the competitiveness of foods offered by nearby food outlets.

Abbreviations

Adjusted odds ratio

Confidence interval

Crude odds ratio

Environmental determinantS of dietary behaviorS among adolescENtS study

Adolescents never or rarely using the school canteen

Norwegian kroner

Adolescents using the school canteen two or more times a week

Adolescents using the school canteen once a week

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Acknowledgements

The ESSENS study is a collaborative project between OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University and the public health project Folkehelseforum Øvre Romerike (FØR). We would like to thank all the participants who took part in this study.

The study was supported by internal funds from OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ongoing project work but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Arthur Chortatos, Laura Terragni, Sigrun Henjum, Marianne Gjertsen & Liv Elin Torheim

Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA

Mekdes K Gebremariam

Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046 Blindern, N-0317, Oslo, Norway

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Contributions

AC conducted the data analyses and wrote the first draft of this manuscript. MKG2 designed the study, led the project planning and implementation of the intervention, and participated in data collection and analyses. LT1, SH, MG1, LET2 and MKG2 substantially contributed to the conception, design, and implementation of the study, as well as providing content to the final manuscript. MG1 recruited participants, conducted and transcribed focus group interviews, and contributed to data analyses. All authors have critically read and given final approval of the final version of the manuscript.

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Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the responsible institutional body, the Norwegian Social Sciences Data Services, which is the data protection official for research. Written informed consent was obtained from all parents of participating adolescents; adolescents provided assent. School administrators also provided consent for the study.

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Additional file 1:.

Appendix 1. ESSENS questionnaire relating to food behaviours ESSENS Study. (DOCX 33 kb)

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Appendix 2. Interview guide for focus group interviews. (DOCX 13 kb)

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Appendix 3. Interview guide for headmasters and teachers. (DOCX 14 kb)

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Chortatos, A., Terragni, L., Henjum, S. et al. Consumption habits of school canteen and non-canteen users among Norwegian young adolescents: a mixed method analysis. BMC Pediatr 18 , 328 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-018-1299-0

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A Useful Guide For SPM English Essay Extended Writing (a.k.a Continuous Writing)

Image by presfoto

So, you’re sitting for SPM soon, and English is one of the papers you need help with. Whether it is for the SPM extended writing (continuous writing) essay or other sections of the paper, don’t fret - we go into detail about the SPM English Essay so you will know what to expect before you sit for it!

But first, let us introduce the entire SPM English Writing Paper format. The SPM English essay writing paper consists of three parts: Part 1 ( Short Communicative Message) , Part 2 ( Guided Writing), and Part 3 ( Extended Writing Task).

To summarise the format, each section is worth 20 marks, and you are given 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the paper. You can also view the complete structure by clicking here !

The SPM Extended Writing (Continuous Writing) Essay Format

To help you get started, let’s look at the structure of the Part 3 essay:

Wordcount: 200 to 250 words

Suggested time: 40 minutes

You will be given a choice of the following tasks: article, report, review, or story.

You must answer only one task in this part.

Let’s look at a sample of the SPM extended writing (continuous writing) essay from the SPM trials in 2021. We’ll use this sample question as an example throughout this article, so follow along!

Based on the given questions above, the writing formats in this section consist of an article, review, and story. You must choose one of the three tasks and use the guided questions to help you write your essay.

Tips And Tricks To Write The SPM Extended Writing (Continuous Writing) Essay

Choosing the right question for your essay can be daunting, so don’t panic! We’ll guide you through our easy-to-follow tips to help you start writing your essay.

Tip 1: Read the questions carefully

As this is an SPM extended writing essay, you must be clear about each task and read the questions carefully. It is essential to take note of the writing format as it varies for each task.

You could also highlight the main key points in each question. At this stage, you might have an early idea of which topic and format you would like to write for your essay.

Tip 2: Outline your ideas

The next step is to choose the question you feel most confident writing an essay for. You could also consider the writing format and ensure you have sufficient points and elaborations to help you get started. Here’s how:

Identify the writing format for the task

Write your points for each question

Elaborate your points and provide strong reasons and advantages

The next step is to outline your ideas based on the questions in the sample above. For example:

First question: What other types of food would you like to be served?

Serve balanced meals

Offer nutritious options

Second question: What other facilities should your canteen have?

Comfortable seats

Consider seat planning

Third question: How can you improve your canteen?

Promote the ‘No Plastic Bag Campaign’

Bring your own containers from home

Tip 3: Draft your essay

Now that you have some ideas for your essay, it’s time to start drafting! Drafting your essay provides an overview of what your essay would look like.

Like the SPM guided writing essay, the SPM extended writing (continuous writing) essay also shares the same structure: an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Here are the ways to get started:

Introduction

To begin the introduction for your SPM extended writing (continuous writing) essay, you could include background information about the task; refer to the notes and questions. Your opening paragraph should not be longer than two to three sentences.

To write the body paragraphs, you need to address the questions given. You can separate the questions into separate paragraphs. Here’s how:

Body paragraph 1: List the type of food you like to be served at the canteen and provide your reasons

Body paragraph 2: Suggest other facilities you would like to have at the canteen

Body paragraph 3: Propose a solution to improve your canteen

To conclude your article, summarise the main points you have identified. Similar to the introduction, keep your conclusion two to three sentences long.

Tip 4: Write Your SPM Extended Writing (Continuous Writing) Essay

Image by @m15ky

Now, it’s time to write your essay!

Another helpful tip: If you encounter any problems elaborating your points, you can use the PEEC framework, which stands for P(point), E(explanation), E(example), and C(conclusion). It helps to expand your points and make your essay exciting and well-structured! We’ve covered the PEEC framework in more detail, so click here to find out more!

Here’s an example:

● Point: The school canteen should serve balanced meals to the students.

● Explanation: It encourages students to eat a balanced diet that helps them improve their memory and development.

● Example: The school canteen should also offer nutritious food options like fresh fruits and healthier snacks on their menu.

● Conclusion: The canteen should implement a healthy eating policy to help the students lead a healthier lifestyle.

Final checklist!

Before you submit your final draft essay, here’s a final checklist you can use:

Make sure you are writing in the correct format.

Don't forget to count and write the total number of words.

Re-read your essay and ensure it’s free from any grammatical and spelling errors.

We’ve used all the steps and tips, and now it’s time to reveal the full sample essay. Check it out below!

The SPM Extended Writing (Continuous Writing) Essay Sample Answer

My School Canteen

A school canteen is the heart of the school and the place where students buy food during recess. Students should have access to a high-quality canteen in the school that provides healthy, quality food and improved facilities.

The school canteen should serve balanced meals to the students. It encourages students to eat a balanced diet to improve their memory. The canteen should offer nutritious food options like fresh fruits and snacks. The canteen should also start a healthy eating policy to help students lead a healthier lifestyle.

The school canteen needs comfortable seats and tables for students to have their break. The students should be able to easily find an available seat at the canteen. The seating should be enough for all students during recess time. It is also important to consider seat planning so it does not take up too much space.

Another way to improve the school canteen is by promoting the “No Plastic Bag” campaign to reduce excessive plastic usage. Students should be encouraged to bring their containers from home. This way, we can lessen plastic and food wastage significantly, and no food will go to waste.

All the above are suggestions to improve and upgrade our school canteen. Every student should have a good experience at the canteen that meets their needs.

(221 words)

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School Canteen

An article is usually written for an English-language magazine aimed at teenagers, and the reader is assumed to have similar interests to the writer. The main purpose is to engage the reader, so there should be some opinion or comment.

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You are required to produce two pieces of writing. The first piece is compulsory and will be an essay of 140-190 words. For the second, you can choose from an article, email/letter, essay, review or report (B2 First for schools the report is replaced with a story) of 140-190 words.

B2 Article Video
B2 Book Review Video
B2 Descriptive Email Video
B2 Place Review Video
B2 Short Story Video
B2 Cities of the Future
B2 Fast Food
B2 Following Fashion
B2 Live Concert
B2 Pollution Problems
B2 Taking a Gap Year
B2 A Work of Art
B2 Being a Celebrity
B2 Life Away
B2 Preventing Crime
B2 School Improvement
B2 Shopping Online
B2 Tablet or Laptop
B2 The Countryside
B2 A School Trip to Italy
B2 An Important Day
B2 Forgetful Girl
The Hidden Beach
The Lost Photo
B2 IMDb Website Review
B2 Jurassic Park Book Review
B2 Mountain Bike Park
B2 Romeo and Juliet Play Review
B2 Ted Film Review
Scarlett Animation Review
B2 Berlin Travel Report
B2 Shops Report
B2 Visiting Places Report
B2 Birthday Party Letter
B2 Computer Games Email
B2 Favourite Film Email
B2 Holiday in Thailand Email
B2 New Attraction Letter
B2 Place to Visit Email
B2 Spending Money Email
B2 Visiting Relative Email

You need to be able to understand a range of texts, including how they are organised and the opinions and attitudes expressed in them. The texts will be from sources familiar to you such as magazines, articles, fiction and advertisements, but targeted at the interests of students.

Students’ use of English will be tested by tasks which show how well they can control their grammar and vocabulary.

Use of English Part 1
Use of English Part 2
Use of English Part 3
Use of English Part 4
Reading Part 5
Reading Part 6
Reading Part 7

For this part, you practice vocabulary by using words with similar meanings, collocations, linking phrases, phrasal verbs, etc.

B2 First Use of English Video
Becoming Famous
Cycling Scheme
Film Stars and Music Celebrities
Going on a diet
Single or Mixed Sex Schools
The History of Football
The Poor and Less Fortunate
The Special Bus
Why do we need to play?

For this part, you practice grammar and vocabulary.

Better swimming
Cardboard Bike
Dealing with waste plastic
Drinking Water
Fit for Sports
Following Your Nose
Growing Bananas
Holiday with a Friend
Making Perfume
The Farm Trip
The Jobs Market
Tree Climbing
Weather Forecasting
Young Enterprise

For this part, you practice vocabulary word-building by changing different words using a base word.

Angel of Mercy
Fast Food Industry
Life on Other Planets
Music in Schools
Mystery Weekend Break
Pollution Problems
Understanding Time
Workforce on the Move

For this part, you have to express a message in different ways showing flexibility and resource in the use of language.

B2 First Use of English Part 4
B2 Key Word Transformation 1
B2 Key Word Transformation 10
B2 Key Word Transformation 2
B2 Key Word Transformation 3
B2 Key Word Transformation 4
B2 Key Word Transformation 5
B2 Key Word Transformation 6
B2 Key Word Transformation 7
B2 Key Word Transformation 8
B2 Key Word Transformation 9

For this part, you practice how to understand the details of a text, including opinions and attitudes.

Cycling to India
Hottest Place on Earth
Living and Working in Another Country
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Wrestler who Wrote a Book

For this part, you practice how to understand the structure and follow the development of a text.

Benefits of Getting Fit
Our Polluted World

For this part, you practice how to find specific information in a text or texts.

Collecting Things
English Seaside Resorts
Teenage Summer Camps

Requires being able to follow and understand a range of familiar spoken materials, such as news programmes, public announcements and other sources, but targeted at the interests of the learners.

Speaking Part 1
Speaking Part 2
Speaking Part 3
Speaking Part 4
Listening Part 1
Listening Part 2
Listening Part 3
Listening Part 4

In this part you talk to the examiner about yourself and your life, e.g. your name, school, interests and future plans.

B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 1 B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 2 B2 Speaking Part 1 Exercise 3

In this part, you talk about two photos on your own which you have to compare for about 1 minute . After you have finished, your partner will be asked a short question about your photo. When your partner has spoken about their photos for about 1 minute , you will be asked a question about their photos.

B2 Speaking Part 2 Exercise 1

In this part you express ideas with your partner by looking at a discussion point that the examiner gives you.

This will be available soon.

In this part, you focus on general aspects of a topic with the examiner or you may involve your partner.

In this part, you will hear people talking in eight different situations.

Entertainment Short Conversations Talking about Sports

In this part, you will hear someone being interviewed.

Extreme Snowboarding Future Options Newly Published Book The Talent Show

In this part, you will hear five people talking about different things.

Demonstration Travel Worries

In this part, you will hear an interview.

Protecting the Environment Staying Healthy

Customs and Traditions
Entertainment and Leisure
Environmental and Nature
Future Jobs and Education
Identity and Well-being
Travel and Adventure

Customs and Traditions explores how we celebrate our cultural identity across the globe.

Christmas Hard Exercises
Story of Halloween
Valentine Message

Entertainment and Leisure explores how we spent our free time.

Environment and Nature explores the way humans and animals live, adapt and change on our planet.

Global Changes

Exploring how different societies create roles for people to develop their skills and knowledge.

Future Schools
Sport at School
School Rules
Fashion Design

Exploring how we learn and adjust to the world around us. .

Taking Risks
Natural Disasters

Exploring how we experience the world through our life journeys

Travelling around the World

Cambridge English exams are designed for learners at all levels from the pre-intermediate level Cambridge English: Key (KET) to the very advanced level Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE). These exams give candidates proof of their ability to use English in a wide variety of contexts, relevant to work, study and leisure activities.

A2 Key | B1 Preliminary | B2 First

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J Prev Med Hyg
v.61(4); 2020 Dec

Improving quality in school canteens: Un fiore in mensa (A flower in canteen) project from ATS Val Padana (Italy)

Gianmarco troiano.

1 ATS Val Padana, UOC Igiene degli Alimenti e della Nutrizione, Crema, Italy

MARCO SEVERGNINI

2 ASST Crema, Crema, Italy

MARIA LUISA CIRRINCIONE

Emma frittoli.

3 Dietician, freelance

ANNA MARINELLA FIRMI

4 ATS Val Padana, Dipartimento di Igiene e Prevenzione Sanitaria, Crema, Italy

VINCENZO CLASADONTE

Dear Editor,

It is known that dietary behaviors in childhood track into adulthood and are predictive of future chronic disease [ 1-3 ]. For this reason, the WHO recommends the implementation of food and beverage policies as a strategy to improve the nutrition of children [ 4 , 5 ]. Children usually spend many hours at school each day, including lunchtime, so the school environment could be considered an important out of home setting where children consume at least one main meal a day. Given the influence that the environment can exert on students’ food choices, it is crucial to create a healthy food environment in schools that facilitates students to choose healthy food products. In this way, students are enabled to develop healthy eating habits from which they can benefit the rest of their lives [ 6-8 ].

The foods offered in school canteens have an increasingly important role to ensure that children could have a consistent opportunity to choose healthy foods [ 9 ].

In Italy several children bring their lunch from home, but the majority of schools (especially primary, and middle schools) have a canteen; this phenomenon is also described in other parts of the world [ 10 ].

The project called Un fiore in mensa ( A flower in canteen ) was conceived by ATS (Agenzia di Tutela della Salute - Health Protection Agency) Val Padana as an acknowledgment given to the quality of the school catering service that could contribute to:

improve the quality level of school catering service;
stimulate teachers to live the meal at school as an educational moment;
actively involve children by educating them in a healthy and correct diet;
achieve children’s autonomy;
stimulate local administrators, or private managers to achieve a common goal which is the psycho-physical well-being of children.

The aim of the project is to assign an award – The Flower – on the basis of the evidences emerged from an inspection. The inspection should be performed at school (without any notice) by health personnel during lunch. Each room, tackle and food should be examined as well as the entire lunch (from preparation of meal to the consumption).

In particular the health personnel should evaluate:

quality of the menu;
organization and cleaning of the kitchen and/or other locals;
collaboration of the teachers;
general presentation of the refectory (cleanliness, brightness, furnishings, tables…);
collaboration between all the personnel during lunch;
children’s behavior.

During the inspections, the health personnel should use a questionnaire divided in 6 sections (see Appendix ), assigning different scores for each item (max 10 points for each section).

It is necessary to reach at least 30 points to have the “flower”, but these points should be achieved in 3 essential sections (and therefore “petals”):

collaboration of the teachers.

The complete flower (with 6 petals) could be reached with 60 points (corresponding to 4 - general presentation of the refectory; 5 - collaboration between all the personnel during lunch; 6 - children’s behavior).

At the end of the inspection, a brief report should be written and sent to the local administrators (e.g. mayors) or private managers involved in school catering.

In the first edition of the project (school year 2014-2015) 17 on 28 schools (60.7%) obtained the flower.

In particular: one school obtained a 3-petals certificate; 5 schools obtained a four-petals certificate (4 obtained the petal 4, 1 obtained the petal 5); four schools obtained a five-petals certificate(2 obtained the petals 4 and 5, 1 the petals 4 and the 6 and 1 obtained the petals 5 and 6); seven schools met all the requirements and obtained the complete six petals certificate.

Among the 17 schools that obtained the flower, nine were kindergartens and eight elementary schools. Moreover, five had an internal kitchen and twelve the refectory only.

81.8% (9 out of 11) kindergartens and only 47% (8 out of 17) of elementary schools obtained the flower. 83.3% (5 out of 6) of schools with internal kitchens and only 54.5% (12 of 22) of schools with the refectory obtained the flower.

It is pivotal to say that these results are limited to the schools sited in the territory of ATS Val Padana (situated in Northern Italy) and certainly studies on larger areas, involving a greater number of schools could confirm or deny what we observed.

However, in our experience, we observed in the schools with an internal kitchen several problems: the locker rooms and the toilets dedicated to the canteen personnel were often unsuitable (dirty, or with lockers insufficient for all the workers); in the pantry we often found unsuitable foods such as wine, non iodized alt, bouillon cubes, snacks, precooked foods. In some cases we found a poor collaboration of the teachers.

The better results reported by the kindergartens could be partially explained by their general management: they were often small schools, with a limited number of children and the most of them had a private management.

In the first edition of the project we observed, during the year, a progressive improvement in canteens quality and a progressive growth in the awareness about the project. Some schools that have not received the full flower contacted us to try to resolve some critical aspects and this is certainly an important confirmation of the utility of the project that we encourage to use also in other realities.

Acknowledgements

Funding sources: this research did not receive any spe-cific grant from funding agencies in the public, commer-cial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Questionnaire used during the inspection

(Failure to comply with even one of the requirements will result in failure to attribute the petal)

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Authors’ contributions

GT wrote the article, MS had the idea of the project, MLC had the idea of the project, EF contributed to the data collection, AMF helped to conceptualize the ideas, VC helped to conceptualize the ideas.

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By Dani Blum

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Essay on Our School Canteen
Essay On My School Canteen
Write an Essay on Our School Canteen in English || Essay writing || Paragraph Writing
Narrative Report on School Canteen
Report About The School Canteen
My Ideal School Canteen Essay

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Essay On My School Canteen
Essay On My School Canteen. The canteen in my school provides students, teachers and other staff with delicious food and drink in hygienic condition. I know that instead of buying things from roadside sellers, it is safe to eat canteen food. Roadside food can spoil our health. I am lucky to have such a good canteen in my school.
English essay on our School Canteen for students & children
All the students love to sit in the canteen and discuss the events of the day. The noise level is always very high in the canteen as everyone is shouting to make himself heard. There are notice boards and suggestion boxes which all students are freely. There is also a separate enclosure for teachers. The cook charges very reasonable rates from us.
Essay on Our School Canteen
The Our School Canteen essay 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 words in English helps the students with their class assignments, comprehension tasks, and even for competitive examinations. You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.
School Canteen
Accordingly, guidance on proper food consumption at school and creating an environment to obtain healthy foods is essential. The school canteen has to play a major role in this task. The likes and dislikes of children as well as physiological needs have to be matched. Children are the precious assets in a school and in order to protect their ...
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Based on DepEd Order No.08 series of 2007 or the "Revised Implementing Guidelines on the Operation and Management of School Canteens in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools," only "nutrient-rich foods and fortified food products labeled rich in protein, energy, vitamins and minerals shall be sold in school canteens" and that the "sale of carbonated drinks, sugar-based synthetic or ...
How healthy and affordable are foods and beverages sold in school
Historically, school canteens or lunch orders have offered a high proportion of energy-dense and less healthy foods such as pastries, cakes and sugar-sweetened beverages (Reference Bell and Swinburn 3, Reference Bell and Swinburn 4), even though it is recognised that school food is important for health messaging and education (Reference Bell ...
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1. Introduction. Globally, childhood obesity is becoming one of the major problems in public health, with one in every ten young people aged 5-17 being overweight or obese [].Middle and low-income countries are not exempted from this, with the prevalence of obesity among school children in Malaysia rising to 11.9% in 2015 from 6.1% in 2011 [2,3]. ...
Essay on School canteen
Essay - School canteen. School Canteen is a very favourite place of all students. The school canteen doesn't only provide food to the students but also wonderful memories. The school I have been studying had a very small canteen selling only packaged foods for munching such as chips, cakes, biscuits etc. It was a small space comprising of 3 ...
What Do Secondary Schools Need to Create Healthier Canteens? The
Having/maintaining good collaboration/ support with/from school canteen advisors (quote 6). community health service, caterer, food supplier (quote 7). Having a school canteen working group with different stakeholders (quote 8). Sharing ideas, aims and experiences about a healthier school canteen inside/outside school (quote 9).
School Canteen: Its Significance on the Learning of Students
School canteens are the ones that are tasked to provide nutritious food to the students for them to continuously enjoy their learning in the school especially during their break time. There is a need for the students to refuel their body through the foods that they will eat. In addition, canteen also serves as laboratory especially for the ...
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Paragraph on School Canteen in 100 Words. A school canteen is a special place where students eat lunch. It is like a big kitchen with lots of yummy food. Kids can buy sandwiches, fruits, and milk there. There are long tables and benches where friends sit together and share their food. The people who work in the canteen wear hats and gloves to ...
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Furthermore, about a quarter of the food items available in school canteens were classified as prohibited based on the new revised list of prohibited food and beverage items. This pattern of high-sugar content is consistent with previous studies in primary school canteens in Malaysia and school meals reported in the United States [30,33]. The ...
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• The school canteen was more frequented by 2nd Cycle students, by those who lived far away from the school and by those receiving a free lunch ticket (for socio-economic reasons). • Only 12.2% of students consumed full meals: soup and vegetables were the most despised foods whereas the main dish (fish or meat), accompanying carbohydrates ...
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students (59%), and teachers (85%) have the intention to generate food waste. One of the canteen. managers (key informants) stated that the canteen food's low price has also influenced the school ...
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Canteen use and dietary habits. When analysing the dietary habits for the sample grouped by frequency of canteen use, a significantly higher proportion of the OFT group reported consuming salty snacks, baked sweets, and soft-drinks ≥3 times per school week, and a significantly higher proportion of the NEV group reported eating breakfast 5 days in the school week compared to the SEL and OFT ...
SPM English Essay Extended Writing (a.k.a Continuous Writing)
The SPM Extended Writing (Continuous Writing) Essay Sample Answer. My School Canteen. by GuruLab. A school canteen is the heart of the school and the place where students buy food during recess. Students should have access to a high-quality canteen in the school that provides healthy, quality food and improved facilities.
School Canteen
B2 First Writing Section. You are required to produce two pieces of writing. The first piece is compulsory and will be an essay of 140-190 words. For the second, you can choose from an article, email/letter, essay, review or report (B2 First for schools the report is replaced with a story) of 140-190 words. Video.
Report About The School Canteen
Report about the School Canteen - model essay - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The report summarizes complaints from students at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Permata about conditions at the school canteen. There are not enough tables and benches to accommodate all students during recess, the food is expensive with little ...
Improving quality in school canteens: Un fiore in mensa (A flower in
The foods offered in school canteens have an increasingly important role to ensure that children could have a consistent opportunity to choose healthy foods . In Italy several children bring their lunch from home, but the majority of schools (especially primary, and middle schools) have a canteen; this phenomenon is also described in other ...
Short Paragraph on My School Canteen (391 Words)
Here is your short paragraph on my school canteen: Every school has a canteen and it makes it easy for students to get food from these canteens. On a busy day when mothers don't get time to pack lunchboxes or snack boxes, these canteens are really handy and a lifesaver. Our school also has a canteen. The canteen is very big and could accommodate many students at a time. We have a coupon ...
Assignment My Ideal School Canteen
assignment My Ideal School Canteen.doc - Free download as Word Doc (.doc), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The document describes an author's ideal vision for a school canteen. The ideal canteen would have modern, spacious facilities with comfortable seating. It would be fully air-conditioned and play soft music. The canteen would serve a variety of Malay, Chinese ...
Report On School Canteen
Report on School Canteen - Free download as Word Doc (.doc / .docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The document is a report about unsatisfactory conditions at a school canteen. It details poor service from rude canteen workers who are improperly attired and have poor personal hygiene. The canteen is also unclean, with uncovered and dirty food and plates posing ...
The Promise of Weight-Loss Drugs
Lives Lived: Silvano Marchetto's Greenwich Village trattoria, Da Silvano, became a star-studded canteen and a Page Six fixture over four decades. He died at 77. SPORTS

Essay On My School Canteen

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Essay on Our School Canteen | Our School Canteen Essay for Students and Children in English

Short Essay on Our School Canteen 300 Words for Kids and Students in English

The Importance of a Well-Equipped Canteen for Students Nourishment

School Canteen Operators

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Article contents

Financial support

Study design and participants

Measures and data management

Menu assessment

Food item grouping for pricing analysis

Statistical analysis

Sensitivity analysis

School characteristics

Menu analysis

Healthiness of items within food categories (meal, snack and beverage)

Examination of ‘red’ and ‘black’ items

Adherence to government canteen guidelines

Pricing analysis

Analysis of prices by school characteristics

Healthiness of items offered

Association with school socio-demographic characteristics

Implications for public health

Strengths and limitations

Acknowledgements

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Students’ food consumption in a school canteen : analysis of what they choose from the canteen gallery and what they discard, by gender and age

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