Recent ham restrictions in school canteens. Is the ham & cheese toastie on its way out?

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Ham & cheese toastie a winner in your household? School canteens in Western Australia have new restrictions in place which limit ham. Tune in to hear what’s changed and the evidence behind it.

We cover:

• New school canteen guidelines in Western Australia - why guidelines exist and what’s changed?
• Key challenges that arise when creating nutrition guidelines around foods and drinks
• What is the evidence behind the restriction on ham?
• If choosing ham, how do you go about choosing a better one?
• What are some alternatives to ham?
• What about processed turkey or chicken slices?

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

“Western Australia changed the guidelines that they provide to their schools. It refines where each food was categorised in terms of the traffic light system. Ham was one that was moved from being an amber food to a red food. Red meaning it can’t be on the menu. There was a small catch, canteens could still sell ham for only two days per week if it was already on the menu before they made this change to the guidelines.”

“This had some parents reportedly concerned, confused or frustrated about what that may mean their children would have access to at school.”

“The change in WA was a change to the guidelines overall, it wasn’t a change just to single out ham. Where we have seen the implication the most is with ham. A challenge we have is staying up with scientific evidence on what is good food to eat, but we’re able to communicate that with schools and often volunteers who are supporting school canteens to run, in a way that is going to support them and not hinder them or create additional problems.”
References
https://theconversation.com/why-ban-ham-from-school-canteens-and-what-are-some-healthier-alternatives-for-kids-lunches-223341

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