Moncton nutrition teacher wants healthy food in cafeteria

A nutrition teacher at Bernice MacNaughton High School in Moncton is calling on Anglophone East School District to enforce the nutritional policies implemented by the Education Department after being frustrated seeing the students get served unhealthy foods in the cafeteria.

Greg Hughes said every day at lunch he sees students eating pizza, french fries, baked goods made from white flour and drinking juices with high sugar content.

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These items are listed as foods with minimal nutrition and listed under the "Not Allowed" section of the province's policies covering healthier eating and nutrition in schools.

"I think there needs to be more fruits and veggies," said Hughes.

"I'd like to see a salad bar. I'd like to see the slush machines replaced with smoothies instead."

Salad bar last year

The school did have a salad bar for two years as part of a program that saw students growing their own vegetables on school property. But the program was discontinued this year.  

"We had the salad bar last year and that went really well, too, because a lot of people want to have healthy choices," said Emma Prevost, a Grade 12 student at the school.

I'd like to see the slush machines replaced with smoothies.- Greg Hughes, nutrition teacher

"They sell cookies in between classes and coffee. That's like really bad for students," she said.

"They sell cheese crackers with like whipped cheese almost and that's not good either because it's all just processed food," she said.

"It's all junk, it's not natural, it's not good for our bodies."

Other students agree the school should serve healthy food.

"I think at the school we expect to see healthy food because at home I know at my house we have a lot of junk food and I kind of want to stay away from that," said Grade 11 student Skye Dominix.

"To come to school where we are supposed to be taught that we need to know how to eat properly and what to eat."

Provincial policy under review

In an email, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister, Brian Kenny said his department was aware of concerns about certain products available in school cafeterias.

"We need to ensure that the spirit of Policy 711 is being respected and therefore we will review the policy," Kenny said.

Hughes said that to many students and teachers, it's obvious more needs to be done to provide nutritional options for students, and to discourage unhealthy choices.  

"We had a student this morning buy a coffee and that's not supposed to happen," he said.

Hughes said they are trying to set a good example for the students. He said he has talked to students about the types of foods they should be eating.

"The students are asking me why the cafeteria is not selling this type of food and the students are making a good point. That's what we would like to see here more of those fresh and fruits and veggies to come back," he said.

Sees a profit motive

Hughes said although the options are obviously unhealthy, he understands why they are available to students.

"They are items that people really like to eat, for example cookies and chips and things like that. So they just make them into the inventory of the cafeteria," Hughes said.

"The food policy is not something they are looking at everyday. It's a cafeteria, they are trying to make money. They are probably looking at increasing the inventory to make more profiit."