Canvastown School pupil, Jake Dodon, 9.
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A drive to get kids to bring healthier and more environmentally friendly lunches to school entered its third year this year, with Nude Food day being held on Wednesday last week.
Several Marlborough schools participated, with their pupils bringing healthy lunches that make use of little or no wrapping. However, the initiative is not meant to be a one-off thing, with parents encouraged to send healthy, environmentally-friendly lunches every day.
"It is something we have been encouraging parents to do for some time now," said Little Footsteps playcentre teacher Carla Rako.
"We hand out pamphlets on healthy lunches and give them suggestions of what to pack. The majority of parents are on board, and are really good about packing healthy lunches."
When the Midweek visited the playcentre on Wednesday the three- and four-year-olds were enjoying all manner of nutritious lunches, with plenty of fruit, yoghurt and healthy sandwiches. "There is actually a fair amount of peer pressure with the kids wanting to eat the same lunches as their classmates, so they pretty much all bring healthy lunches - it's a good kind of peer pressure," said Carla.
The school has a vegetable garden that the kids work in and its produce is given freely to parents for use in lunches, she said.
Canvastown School signed up to the Nude Food movement last term, said school principal Karen Kellaway, but for several years has also been encouraging its pupils to bring healthy lunches.
"I have a ‘healthy lunch box tip' in the school newsletter and we also send out suggestions for healthy lunch box options. The Nude Food idea of having no wrappings also fits in the Enviroschool philosophy," said Karen.
Nude Food Day was created three years ago by Nude Food Movers, with more than one million Australians and New Zealanders expected to take part this year. Not only are businesses taking part and school kids being encouraged to eat healthy by their parents - the aim is to make every day Nude Food Day.
For more information visit nudefoodday.co.nz
- © Fairfax NZ News
