Kids not choosing healthy food at school

A review of data from the 2002 National Children’s Nutrition Survey has concluded that children and young people who use school canteens have poorer diets than those who don’t.

Among younger students, users of the canteen were more likely to drink carbonated drinks 5 or more times each week, eat meat pies or sausage rolls 3 or more times a week, and have chocolate or sweets 4 or more times a week.

Older students using the canteen were less likely to be eating the recommended two or more servings of fruit and three or more servings of vegetables each day and were more frequent consumers of pies, sausage rolls, chocolates and sweets.

Source: The New Zealand Medical Journal, 26 January 2007