Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher recently announced that Sugary drinks will be removed from ACT Government schools by the end of 2014 and in vending machines in public schools by the end of term one as part of the Fresh Tastes: Healthy Food at School program.
“The ACT Government has a clear plan to reduce the amount of people who are overweight and obese and a key way to achieve that is to reduce the availability of sugary drinks to children,” the Chief Minister said “The government is taking a firm approach to this plan and will remove sugary drinks from vending machines by the end of this term and then remove them from canteens by the end of this year.”
The Chief Minister explained that this decision by the ACT Government works towards the commitment in the Towards Zero Growth – Healthy Weight Initiative, launched last year, to develop an ACT Government school food and drink policy with the supporting guidelines that will mandate the implementation of the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines in ACT Government Schools.
Minister for Education and Training, Joy Burch said the phasing out of sugary drinks would be accompanied by increased provision of water refill stations and reusable drink bottles in government schools.
“The rate of overweight or obese children is increasing and through this initiative it will be easier for children to make good food and drink choices when they are at school,” Ms Burch said. “It will also create a learning environment where children can more easily concentrate as we know that children who eat and drink healthy food and drinks, perform better at school.”