Education Minister Mildred Dover said the new policies will provide children and youth with more healthy food choices at school. “Children spend a large portion of their young lives at school, and we fully support the new policies which help schools model practices that support health and learning,” she said.

Health and Social Services Minister Chester Gillan said schools can play a powerful role in helping children learn healthy lifestyle habits. “Good nutrition and physical activity are essential for healthy growth and development, and reduces the risk of conditions such as being overweight, obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis,” he said. “In Prince Edward Island, the incidence of preventable nutrition related diseases is higher than in many other areas of Canada. It is therefore critical to establish healthy eating behaviours in childhood and provide children and youth with the opportunity to develop healthy eating behaviours for life.”

Boards are not banning foods in schools. Rather, they will be making healthy food available more often, and less healthy food available less often. Dr. Jennifer Taylor of the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance advised that this approach is being taken for several reasons. “Dietitians have always maintained that all foods can fit into a healthy diet as long as we eat healthy foods regularly and we eat less healthy foods in moderation,” she said. “Research shows that when we restrict foods from children and enforce the consumption of only healthy foods, the approach often backfires because children end up liking the less healthy food more and the healthy food less.”

Recognizing that food and celebrations are part of Prince Edward Island culture, schools will have flexibility to offer treats on special days as long as they have healthy choices too.

While soft drinks, fruit drinks and sports drinks won’t be banned from the school, they won’t be sold in vending machines where they are readily accessible and often displace healthier drink choices such as milk or juice.

The initial phase of the policy is being developed for schools without cafeterias, which is for the most part elementary and consolidated schools, as well as schools in the French board. The next phase will address intermediate and high schools.

The Eastern School District draft policy received first reading by the board in November. It is now being reviewed by partners such as Home and School groups and school advisory councils. If the policy receives approval after second reading in January, it will be implemented over a two-year period.

In the Western School Board, the first draft of the policy will go to the board policy committee in December. That committee will recommend whether it goes to the board for first reading.

Schools in the French Language School Board are now reviewing the draft language and the draft policy will go to the board over the next few months.

Copies of the draft Eastern School District policy are available at www.edu.pe.ca/esd/our_district/prop_pol.htm.

BACKGROUNDER

PEI SCHOOL NUTRITION POLICIES

Background

In June 2003, the three school boards began to develop new school nutrition policies with the assistance of the PEI Healthy Eating Alliance.

With funding from the provincial government, a working group was struck by the Alliance to draft policy and regulations. The working group includes representatives of: School boards, PEI Healthy Eating Alliance, PEI Home and School Federation, Department of Education, Department of Health and Social Services, and UPEI.

Policy was developed using a broad-based consultative process which involved teams from 16 lead schools in the three boards. The school teams included an administrator, teacher and parent.

The initial phase of the policy is for schools without cafeterias, which is for the most part elementary and consolidated schools, as well as the six schools in the French board. The next phase will address intermediate and high schools.

Boards are not banning foods in schools. Rather, they will be making healthy food available more often, and less healthy food available less often, considering the following factors:

- Dietitians have always maintained that all foods can fit into a healthy diet as long as we eat healthy foods regularly and we eat less healthy foods in moderation.

- Research shows that when we restrict foods from children and enforce the consumption of only healthy foods, they often end up liking the less healthy food more and the healthy food less.

- Recognizing that food and celebrations are part of our culture, schools will have flexibility to offer treats on special days as long as they have healthy choices too.

While they won’t be banned from the school, soft drinks, fruit drinks and sports drinks will not be sold in vending machines where they are readily accessible and often displace healthier drink choices such as milk or juice.

Proposed Policy Highlights

- Foods sold or made available for breakfast, lunch, canteen and snack programs will be selected from lists of Foods to Serve Most Often and Foods to Serve Sometimes. Choices should emphasize vegetables, fruit, low fat milk, whole grain products, lean meats, foods prepared with little or no fat, and foods low in sugar, salt and caffeine.

- Vending machines will not include soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit drinks. They will only include milk, water and 100 percent fruit juice.

- Other foods sold in vending machines will be selected from the Healthy Vending Machines and Canteen Foods list.

- Students will be encouraged to drink water at school.

- Schools will use pricing approaches that encourage students to choose healthy foods.

- Only healthy food choices will be promoted or advertised in schools.

- Schools should not offer less healthy foods as rewards for good behaviour or achievement.

- Schools should use only healthy foods and non-food items in fundraising activities.

- Although the regulations do not apply to lunches sent from home, families will be supported to send healthy lunches to school.

- Resources are now being developed to support schools and families with implementation of the policy. Supports will include information and communications, networking opportunities and peer education programs for students.

Eastern School District Policy Highlights

• The Eastern School District draft policy received first reading by the board in November. It is now being reviewed by partners such as Home and School groups and school advisory councils. If the policy receives approval after second reading in January, it will be implemented over a two-year period.

Western School Board

• The first draft of the policy will go to the board policy committee in December. That committee will recommend whether it goes to the board for first reading.

French Language School Board

• Schools are now reviewing the draft language. The final draft policy will go to the board over the next few months.