Making it easier to make healthy choices

Healthy Eating

Minister of Health Pete Hodgson launched tools to help schools to make healthy food choices at Massey High School in West Auckland today.

The Food and Beverage Classification System resources will support schools and Early Childhood Education Services (ECE) to make healthy choices when it comes to selecting food and drinks for children.

"We must act now to improve the diets and physical activity levels of young New Zealanders, otherwise in 20 years time, this country will be facing a diabetes and cardiovascular disease epidemic and the damage will be irreversible. This Labour-led Government has committed millions of dollars to improving food and physical activity environments in schools,

“Encouraging healthy food choices early in life can help create lifelong preferences for healthy food. Currently, about a quarter of the sugar in our children's daily diets comes from fizzy drinks and nearly as much comes from sweets, “Pete Hodgson said.

“Many schools and ECE centres are already well advanced in their determination to help our kids to be healthy. Massey High School is one example of this. After implementing the Waitemata DHB Beverage Classification Guidelines, the school removed 400 kilograms of sugar per month, by removing full sugar fizzy and energy drinks.”

The Food and Beverage Classification System groups foods into three main categories; for consumption everyday, sometimes and occasionally. Food and drinks in the everyday category are the healthiest choices and these should be encouraged and promoted.

Pete Hodgson says the Classification System is not about banning foods like pies.

"In fact, the health sector has been working very closely with the pie industry to encourage them to reformulate their pies and many companies are doing this right now to ensure their products can be included in the 'sometimes' category of the Classification System," he says.

The fight against obesity: some Labour-led Government investments:

2006

• 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.

2007

• May: 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