We can help schools demonstrate compliance with the School Food Standards.
Vending
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HET has campaigned for ‘healthier’ foods and drinks in schools for many years. We have been part of a major transformation that is now taking place in schools across the country, as a result of the regulations that now govern the foods and drinks available in schools during the school day. Over the years we have produced and /or contributed to several publications and initiatives geared towards this transformation. The various stages along the way are reflected here, providing links and/or access to the pilot study results and publications that have all contributed to ensuring that the snacks and drinks provided in school now promote positive health and development for our children.
Real Choice HET established Real Choice to support schools and industry that are making positive steps to deliver good nutrition to children. Real Choice is an independent scheme established and operated by the Health Education Trust since April 2005, prior to the School Food Standards. The scheme works simply to flag up on our online, freely accessible register of products that have been independently evaluated by HET nutritionists and so meet the Governments standards for food in schools as a minimum. Click here for more details. |
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Following the introduction of the School Food Standards, schools are taking responsibility for providing a good quality, nutritionally sound school meals service and developing their own food and nutrition policies, as part of a whole school approach to food and health. It is clear that any vending operation must be a consistent and appropriate part of this framework. Vending is a very useful tool and a highly visible component of a school’s food provision and should be used to enhance healthy eating practices. This can be a reality, provided the vending operation is appropriately managed from the top.
The Health Education Trust (HET) played the lead role in advocating a rational position for healthful school vending for some years. HET conducted pilot studies within schools on behalf of Food Standards Agency (FSA), Dept. of Health (DH) and The Welsh Assembly Government. Following this work, HET was instrumental in the development of a series of practical guidance for schools on both food and drinks vending. HET have continued to produce publications on vending including a Water Cooler Point of Use toolkit and a best practice guidance on Allergy and Vending. HET publications:
In 2005, the first NATIONAL SCHOOL VENDING CONFERENCE took place, jointly organised by HET and the Department of Health. This very successful event included a product exhibition, unique in it’s nature since all companies were required to register their products in advance so that we could offer a display of ‘healthful’ snacks and drinks suitable for use in schools. Expert presentations covered the key issues surrounding school vending at that time. For a conference summary click here. HET exhibited Healthful School Vending operations for 4 days to the vending industry at AVEX (The International Vending Exhibition) at Earls Court, May 2005. HET were grateful thanks go from us to the Automatic Vending Association (AVA) for providing HET with this valuable platform to illustrate how vending can become a healthy and profitable part of school catering services. During the AVEX event, HET presented a seminar on healthful school vending to vending operators. This was very well attended by over 60 vending and food and drinks industry representatives, and provided a constructive forum for looking ahead to a healthier future for school vending. |
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| Pilot work by HET on establishing healthful vending in schools and leisure centres:Vending Machines can be good news for schools and children’s diets | ||||||||||||||
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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) agrees that vending can have a role to play in healthy schools, despite the bad press it has received in the past. Results of the pilot drinksproject, run by HET have demonstrated that children will choose healthier options, such as mineral water, pure fruit juices, semi-skimmed milk and flavoured milks, even when healthy drinks vending machines are set alongside the school’s usual vending options. Taking the results from the drinkspilot and projecting them across England and Wales, if just one in five schools adopted a healthier drinks vending policy, some 14 million extra bottles and cartons of healthier drinks would be purchased by pupils in a year!
The key to successful healthy vending is pupil involvement, which is a core principal of HET’s policies (see SNAGS pages). Given the choice, children will often select the healthier choices, provided of course these are located in the right place (where the children expect to buy their snacks and drinks) and easily accessible (the machine is full and in working order!). HET was also involved in a food vending pilot funded by the Department of Health, which formed the basis of the Food in Schools toolkit food and drink vending.
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To see the full pilot vending study report just click DRINKS VENDING PILOT.
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