Labour's food rules take the cake - Nats

National Party Education spokeswoman, Anne Tolley, has accused the Government of imposing draconian school food rules, which she says are to blame for Oteha Valley School being labelled the "birthday grinch".

The Auckland primary school has outlawed birthday cakes, in a bid to meet the new government healthy eating guidelines, scheduled to come into effect in June. 

"This ludicrous decision is a direct result of the paranoia that has been generated by Labour's national healthy eating guidelines.

"What is New Zealand coming to when a Kiwi kid can't share a piece of birthday cake with his or her friends," Mrs Tolley said.

Oteha Valley School has banned pupils from bringing cakes to school on their birthdays, saying some classes had up to four cakes a week arriving. 

Oteha Valley principal Megan Bowden said that the birthday cake phenomenon had begun about eight years ago and had escalated to a point where parents were calling her to ask if it was a requirement.

The school's weekly newsletter told parents to stop sending cakes to school from next term.

The Government's Healthy Eating-Healthy Action guidelines say the scheme is not banning food rather promoting and encouraging consumption of healthy food options in the education setting.

The initiative requires that only healthy food be sold on school premises and that boards of trustees promote healthy food and nutrition to pupils.

Labour's Education Minister, Chris Carter, was unavailable for comment.