Nutrition Australia WA is proud to be leading the Whole of School Healthy Eating Program funded by the WA Department of Health from 1 July 2022. We look forward to supporting teachers, staff, canteens, food service, parents and carers in WA schools and working with stakeholders and professionals to embed healthy eating in school food environments.

From 1 July 2022, services funded by the WA Department of Health to support healthy food and drink in schools and nutrition curriculum for teachers are changing. This includes:

•      The Healthy Food and Drink in Schools Project to support schools to implement the Department of Education Healthy Food and Drink in Public Schools Policy, delivered by the Western Australian School Canteen Association Inc. (WASCA)

•      Refresh.ED nutrition education curriculum resources for teachers, delivered by Edith Cowan University.

A new Whole of School Healthy Eating Program will be replacing these services to provide an integrated, comprehensive state-wide advisory and implementation service to support schools to create healthy  food environments and deliver nutrition education. As part of this new program, all schools in WA will have access to a new interactive website that will house a range of free tools, resources, curriculum materials and online training, including FoodChecker – an online recipe, menu and assessment tool – as well as phone, email and face-to-face support. As a result of an open tender process, this program will be delivered by Nutrition Australia WA with funding from the WA Department of Health.

What’s involved?

Terms 3 and 4 in 2022 will be a transition period whereby some reductions in services are necessary, to support the transition to the new Whole of School Healthy Eating Program. To support schools during this transition phase, the following services will remain available from 1 July 2022 until the beginning of Term 1, 2023:

• Western Australian School Canteen Association Inc. Healthy Food and Drink in Schools web- based resources at https://www.waschoolcanteens.org.au/
• Refresh.ED nutrition education curriculum resources at https://www.refreshedschools.health.wa.gov.au/
• Email support for Refresh.ED nutrition curriculum materials for teachers from the Department of Health at [email protected]

Free phone and email support for implementing the Healthy Food and Drink in  Public Schools Policy (HFD Policy) (currently provided by WASCA) will cease briefly on 30 June 2022 and be resumed by Nutrition Australia WA on 31 August 2022. In the interim, email support for the HFD Policy will be available from Nutrition Australia WA at [email protected]

Online ‘traffic light’ training currently offered to schools by for a fee by WASCA will not be available during Terms 3 and 4, 2022. Online training to support the new Whole of School Healthy Eating Program will be resumed by Nutrition Australia WA, from Term 1, 2023. Resources on the traffic light classification system can be found on the WASCA website until the beginning of Term 1, 2023.

FoodSafe food handler training offered through WASCA will cease on 30 June 2022.  The resumption of this training as part of the new Whole of School Healthy Eating Program is currently under review. In the interim, food handler training can be accessed for free from most local councils by searching their food safety programs. Alternatively, Environmental Health Australia offers this training for a small fee (https://www.eh.org.au/resources/foodsafe).

Nutrition Australia WA will be launching the new Whole of School Healthy Eating Program website in January 2023.

Get in contact

For further information, please contact [email protected]