November 24, 2016

Healthy food van provides young students with a better start in life

Nutrition initiative to improve children’s learning outcomes and reduce food waste

A team of nutrition researchers and students from the University of Wollongong are working with schools in the region to address the alarming rate of children who attend school each day without eating breakfast.

It is estimated that one in seven children in NSW do not receive a proper meal before reaching the school gates, a number that is much greater in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage.

At the same time, food wastage is a growing issue for society, with Australians shown to be throwing away approximately $8 billion of edible food each year.

A new project called Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers, led by Associate Professor Karen Charlton and Associate Professor Karen Walton, both based in UOW’s School of Medicine, aims to provide a solution to these two issues by using donated food to feed primary school students.

They are working with the not-for-profit ALL Sustainable Futures Inc group who have received funding from the Environmental Trust and Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as part of NSW EPA’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative. ALL Sustainable Futures Inc used their grant to purchase a refrigerated food van to collect donated food from local businesses in the Illawarra.

This food will be prepared by two chefs into a delicious, nutritious and free breakfast that will be provided to 350 primary school children each Friday morning.

As well as providing a breakfast program, UOW Nutrition and Dietetics students will develop in-class activities to help children learn more about cooking and choosing foods to meet a balanced diet.

Professor Charlton said the initiative has the potential to improve the learning outcomes and wellbeing of young students in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region, while also reducing the amount of food that goes to landfill each year.

“It is good for the community and good for the environment – a win-win situation,” she said. The project will link with the new Illawarra Food Hub, which brings together various food rescue agencies.

“Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers will improve the nutritional status of children, help boost their academic performance in the classroom and hopefully improve school outcomes,” Professor Charlton said.

“It will improve attendance and retention rates, and provide valuable lessons in nutrition skills to the children, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and often arrive at school hungry.”

The children could use leftover food to make meals for their family that could be taken home. Ultimately, Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers aims to deliver 100,800 meals each year.

The initiative, which has been running since the start of term four of the school year, was officially launched at Albion Park Rail Public School today (Friday 25 November) and Professor Charlton said it was wonderful to see the overwhelming response from the school community. The project will later be rolled out to East Nowra Public School and Jerrinja Aboriginal Community.

“Many of the children have been exposed to new foods that they have never tried before. It is also an exciting way for our students to be part of a community-led project that aligns with their studies.”

Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers was funded by a UOW Community Engagement Grant.