Food and Beverage Resources launch

Thanks to Massey High School for the very warm welcome and for hosting this event today and for the large numbers of people who are here for the launch of support resources for the Food and Beverage Classification System.

The Food and Beverage Classification System is one small component of a much bigger set of initiatives happening all over the country, to improve the overall health and well-being of New Zealanders. I am just one of the Labour-led government Cabinet Ministers working hard to support people working in the nutrition and activity sectors.

The Healthy Eating - Healthy Action strategic framework was launched in 2003 to improve nutrition, increase physical activity and reduce obesity. In September last year, the Government launched Mission-On, a broad-based package of ten initiatives to encourage young New Zealanders and their families to improve their nutrition and increase physical activity. The initiatives are being delivered by SPARC, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. Improving nutrition within the school and early childhood environments is Initiative Number One. The development of the Food and Beverage Classification System falls under this initiative.

Another Mission-On initiative is the Lifestyle Ambassadors, which is a network of high profile ambassadors which has been established to promote healthy choices and to act as role models of healthy positive lifestyles. Bernice Mene, a former Silver Fern is one of those Lifestyle Ambassadors and I welcome her here to today's launch.

This Labour-led Government has committed millions of dollars to improving food and physical activity environments in schools. If we don't do something to improve the food quality and activity levels of young New Zealanders, 20 years from now, this country will be facing diabetes and cardiovascular disease epidemic and the damage will be irreversible. We have got to act now to change the environment young New Zealanders live in, to make sure the healthy choices are the easy choices.

The Ministry of Health's 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey showed just over half of the 5-14-year-olds surveyed bought at least some of their food from the school canteen, with 5 per cent of children buying most of their food there. Most children do not choose food or drink just because of its nutritional value. They choose it because they like the taste, because it's what their friends are having, 'because it's lunch time' and because it's what is on offer.

About a quarter of the sugar in New Zealand children's daily diets comes from beverages such as fizzy drinks and nearly as much comes from lollies. Add fried foods and chocolate bars into the mix and you have a diet undesirably high in fat, salt and sugar with many children not eating enough vegetables and fruit.

Encouraging healthy food choices early in life can help create lifelong preferences for healthy foods.

Some Early Childhood Education (ECE) services and schools already have policies and procedures about what is offered on site, to help ensure that healthy choices are available. Many more are developing such policies and the Food and Beverage Classification System will help them do this.

And Massey High School is a prime example. In 2005, Massey High decided to make changes to their tuckshop and used the Waitemata District Health Board Beverage Guidelines to help them do this.

The Waitemata DHB Beverage Guidelines were developed using a simple traffic light system. They label drinks green, orange or red based on their energy, nutrient and package size, with green drinks being the healthiest choices. Before Massey High implemented the Beverage Guidelines, they were selling about 6450 'red' category drinks each month. In less than a week after implementing the guidelines, all full sugar fizzy drinks were removed from sale.

Since then this high school has removed close to 400 kilograms of sugar a month just by this small action. That equates to the size of a baby elephant. It's absolutely staggering and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Bruce and his staff and students for making such a difference, and of course the Waitemata DHB for developing these guidelines.

It may not seem like much, removing full sugar fizzy drinks and replacing them with diet options, but small steps like this can lead to huge improvements in overall health and well-being.

Late last year, a world-leading agreement was made between the Government and two of New Zealand's biggest beverage companies - Coca Cola Amatil NZ and Frucor Beverages Ltd. The agreement will see the removal of full sugar fizzy and energy drinks in all schools by 2009. Think where Massey High will be by then, given the huge inroads you have already made.

The support resources I'm launching today are the User Guide and Catering Guidelines for schools and Early Childhood Education Services. If you think of the Food and Beverage Classification System as a car, these support resources are like the petrol that makes a car go and without them, the car won't start.

We know we can make a difference if we support schools and early childhood centres to make healthier decisions around the types of food and beverages they provide. Like Massey High School, there is a large number of other schools and ECE services who are also leading the way and I want to acknowledge them today too. The User Guide and Catering Guidelines will enhance the good work they're already doing.

The Food and Beverage Classification System groups foods into three main categories - everyday, sometimes and occasionally.

Foods and drinks from the everyday category are the healthiest choices. Most of the food provided in schools and ECE services should be everyday items and should be encouraged and promoted.

The Food and Beverage Classification System is not about banning foods like the humble pie. In fact, the health sector has been working closely with the pie industry to encourage them to reformulate their pies. I am pleased that the food industry has risen to this challenge and many are actively reformulating their pies as we speak to make sure their products can be included in the 'sometimes category' of the Classification System. Other companies are also reformulating their products, acknowledging that they are parents too and want to make sure they too are giving their children the best start in life, by providing them with healthy choices.

Just like ECE services and schools are required to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children, they're also required to promote and provide healthy food choices for Kiwi kids.

International research shows that there is clear evidence that increasing physical activity and improving nutrition will lead to improved health and well-being. There is also strong evidence showing that the level and quality of dietary intake influences both the development and function of the brain and therefore potentially to improve academic performance.

We cannot afford to ignore international literature of this kind and we are working to ensure safe healthy food environments for kids.
The Government wouldn't be doing it's job if we weren't doing all we can to protect the futures of our younger generation.

I would now like to hand over the User Guide and Catering Guidelines to Massey High School. Some of the senior students from the Hospitality and Catering Class have already put these resources to good use by preparing the morning tea you are set to enjoy! I got to have a chat with these students when I arrived this morning and I can assure you, you won't be disappointed!

Some Labour-led Government's investments into the fight against obesity:

February 2006

• 27,000 primary school children took part in the Fruit in Schools programme. The programme is part of a wider strategy to help students and their communities and families adopt healthy lifestyles.
• May
  $76 million over four years announced in Budget 2006 to fund the largest campaign to fight obesity in New Zealand's history.
• The Editorial of the Lancet notes that NZ is setting the agenda to combat obesity.
• July
  Interim research evaluation of the Fruit in Schools programme report students are showing a more positive attitude to healthy food and are being more physically active.
• September
  The launch of Mission On– a $67 million package focusing on healthy, active young New Zealanders. This includes new guidelines for food served in schools, a major social marketing campaign and changes for the marketing of food to children.
• Auckland school students presented their views and their solutions for the issue in a workshop with Health Ministers from 43 countries at the WHO Western Pacific regional meeting.
• October
  Additional $800,000 investment from the Healthy Eating, Healthy Action Innovation Fund for four new projects to fight obesity at a DHB level. The projects include family activities and smart eating programmes and joins the 16 DHB project started in 2005.
• The Fruit in Schools programme is extended to 154 new primary schools to more than double the programme's size to 57,000 students.
• The Cancer Society and Foodstuffs' LiveSmart campaign in 129 New World supermarkets targets the one in two New Zealand adults who do not eat the recommended five plus a day servings of vegetables and fruit.
• December
  A voluntary agreement agreed between the government, Coca-Cola Amatil NZ and Frucor Beverages Ltd to remove full sugar fizzy and energy drinks from secondary schools by 2009.
• May 2007
  Education and Broadcasting Minister, Steve Maharey and Health Minister Pete Hodgson have agreed with major television broadcasters on a new five-point plan aimed at improving food advertising to children.
• Mission On Lifestyle Ambassadors named incl John Campbell Bernice Mene Indira Moala Spasific
• June
  Feeding our futures – eat with your kids, prepare food together and Milk and Water are fine
• July
  Mission-On Student Health Promotion launch- St James School Christchurch