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Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards for governing councils and events

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    Schools can promote a positive food environment to children and young people. The Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards can help make sure your school is offering the best options for your students.

    If you’re on a governing council or have anything to do with food preparation or provision at your school, find out how to apply the standards.

    Food access at schools

    Schools provide students access to food on a regular basis. This could be through:

    • canteens, including any canteen service provided by a third party (onsite or external)
    • out of school hours care (OSHC)
    • breakfast programs
    • fundraisers
    • whole of school events, celebrations or sports days
    • camps
    • vending machines.

    Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards

    The Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards provide guidance around healthy and safe food and drink provision where food is supplied or sold in schools. The standards give advice about the:

    • types of food and drink that should be sold
    • conditions in which food and drink is sold or provided.

    The standards complement other strategies in schools that promote healthy food and drink behaviours, including learning opportunities through the curriculum. When you support the standards, you are supporting:

    • children to develop strong food literacy skills
    • children’s access to a range of foods that are both nourishing and tasty.

    Your role and responsibilities

    Direct role in food provision

    If you have a direct role in organising food provision, familiarise yourself with the Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards including the traffic light system (PDF 251 KB) . These roles may include:

    • managing or being a governing council or committee member managing the canteen
    • organising food related events or fundraisers.

    People working in these roles should understand that:

    • The standards have a target of 60% green category foods, no more than 40% amber category foods, limited red 1 and not supplied red 2 category foods.
    • Red 1 food and drinks can only be sold or provided up to twice per term. This can be as a celebration, whole of school event or fundraiser. These foods can be sold through a canteen but needs to be coordinated across the school to make sure this does not happen more than twice.
    • OSHC may offer red 1 food and drinks up to 8 times per year, independently to whole of school events.
    • They may need to negotiate with external suppliers of food and drinks to prompt them to meet the standards, whether a once off or ongoing basis.
    • There are additional standards related to advertising, waste and food safety.

    Find out if your food and drink products are classified as green, amber or red, by using Wellbeing SA’s FoodChecker. They also have tips and actions to support your school to demonstrate a positive food culture.

    Supporting role in food provision

    If you have an indirect role in food provision, you can still help to promote healthy and safe food choices across the school.

    Consistency across different food provision types should considered. Make sure the sale and provision of red 1 food and drinks is limited to no more than twice per term across the school and up to 8 times per year in OSHC (approximately twice per term).

    Encourage your local food suppliers to familiarise themselves with the Right Bite standards.

    Canteen and OSHC menus

    Adjusting a canteen or OSHC menu to meet the Right Bite standards can take time and will take support from the school community. Your canteen or OSHC committee should be able to provide support, but you can help too. See, working with governing council committees.

    You can support the canteen or canteen provider by:

    • helping the canteen to understand the standards and use Wellbeing SA’s FoodChecker to see if the menu meets the standards
    • reviewing the menu against a FoodChecker report, such as seasonally or annually, and work together to implement any changes
    • helping to promote menu changes
    • considering ways to positively promote healthy food and drink choices to the school community.

    Non-food fundraisers

    Encourage staff and families to use non-food fundraisers and non-food rewards for celebrations.

    Wellbeing SA has a list of healthy fundraising ideas and replacements where food and drink is often used for fundraising.

    Other things to consider when you provide food and drink

    Regardless of your role, you must also consider food safety and packaging. This is for any event, celebration or fundraiser relating to food and drink supply, including external providers or canteens.

    Engagement and Wellbeing – Food and Nutrition

    Email: education.RightBite [at] sa.gov.au