Secondary college heading local food-first

MOUNT Rowan Secondary College has seen an overhaul of its lunch menu as part of a statewide healthy food movement called Vic Kids Eat Well.

The school is the first in Ballarat to join the initiative, which is run by Cancer Council Victoria in partnership with Nutrition Australia’s healthy eating advisory service.

The initiative aims to assist organisations in making healthier food choices for kids, and Mount Rowan principal Seona Murnane said the school community is going beyond changing their menu.

“While we are reducing the amount of sugary foods from our canteen, we’re also expanding on what we’re doing with the initiative with our own garden program and growing the two together,” she said.

“We’re using foods that are seasonal so students can see where they’re grown to how it’s made in the kitchen to how it tastes.

“They can see it from seedling to food on the table so we’re hitting it from both sides, which we think is taking it a bit further than just cutting out the less healthy options.”

The program includes help from local organisations, with Mount Rowan assigned two health officers from Ballarat Community Health.

Tope Adepoyibi, one of VKEW’s head from Cancer Council Victoria, said the college was a fantastic example of how schools can go above and beyond the program.

“They’ve been really innovative in some of the work they’re doing around waste reduction, using seasonal produce and making healthy eating part of student learning,” she said.

“The great thing about the program is it’s really flexible for schools to be able to adapt and tweak it in terms of how they go about making their healthy changes.”

With Ballarat Community Health proving resources and support, Ms Adepoyibi said she looks forward to the program’s expansion in the region.

“Everyone will be able to do things a little differently and we’ll be able to see some more fantastic innovations as the program continues in Ballarat,” she said.