Teachers and support staff should be familiar with the Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards. The standards relate to any setting in the school where food and drink is provided or sold. This includes food or drinks offered:

• at camps or excursions
• at celebrations or events
• in the classroom, provided by the teacher.

About the Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards

To guide school choices around food and drink provision, the Right Bite Food and Drink Supply Standards categorise foods and drinks into green, amber and red.

The food and drinks that are classified as green are based on the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating’s Five Food Groups. These include:

• grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain or high fibre cereal varieties
• vegetables, legumes and beans
• fruit
• milk, yoghurt, cheese and their alternatives, mostly reduced-fat
• lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes and beans.

The Right Bite standards also inform schools of their food safety responsibilities where food is provided or sold, and provides advice and tips. See food safety for food and drink provided in schools.

Camps and excursions

The standards aim to encourage availability of food and drink choices that support students to focus and feel energised. When looking into excursions and camp options, encourage and negotiate with the providers to provide healthy, varied and tasty food and drink options.

Food safety and allergy risks must be considered in planning. Refer to allergens, intolerances and health complexities on our food safety page for more information.

Non-food classroom rewards

The classroom is a perfect setting for role modelling positive food behaviours. Offering students non-food rewards in place of food can:

• role model the timing and purpose of food in our daily lives
• provide consistent messaging alongside the curriculum to reinforce healthy habits
• reduce plastic waste.

Food rewards may have unintended consequences such as:

• prompting students to eat when they aren’t hungry, ignoring their body’s natural cues
• teaching students’ minds and bodies to associate food with good or bad behaviour
• contradicting what you’re trying to teach students in the classroom about food, eating and looking after our environment.

Ideas for non-food rewards

Here are some alternatives to food related rewards for younger students:

• pencil, pens or erasers
• activity or colouring in sheets
• lucky dip prize
• privileges such as a ‘no homework’ pass, computer time, music
• active or nature play prize
• points system for an end of term class activity
• points granted to a class choice for a free time activity or free choice music
• opportunity for sought after classroom roles such as canteen monitor or message delivery.

For older students:

• a no or late homework pass
• points toward additional free time or house system rewards
• a book or similar voucher
• class movie choice and session
• chat breaks or sitting with friends
• a recognition certificate.

Celebrations and special events

Food is an important part of our culture and social celebrations. For this reason, food should not be banned from celebrations and special events, however, it does not have to dominate the event. Your school may have a policy position on how food is managed in these situations, including allergy considerations.

Consider how you would like your class to celebrate:

• birthdays: this could be done once per month, and in non-food related ways
• end of year: encourage healthy morning tea items and consider that not everyone needs to bring a plate. You could collect a few dollars from each student and purchase platters from your canteen or a local food vendor – this can reduce over catering and waste
• milestone moments: games, outdoor play or free time can be just as enjoyable.

Wellbeing SA’s healthy fundraising ideas has a list of suggested ideas and replacements for food and drink when celebrating.