The Tasmanian Greens today announced a new plan to help foster healthy eating habits among Tasmanian school children.
Greens Leader Nick McKim said the Greens would provide one million dollars over three years to Tasmanian schools to focus on professional development and education with the goal of creating healthier school canteens, and a consistent healthy eating message throughout the school community.
“Good eating habits are formed early in life, and our schools play an important role in encouraging children to lead a healthy lifestyle,” Mr McKim said.
“Teachers consistently tell me that children with a healthy diet concentrate better in class, which means fewer disruptions and better educational outcomes for all students.”
“Many schools are already doing a fantastic job of providing healthy eating options for students, and we have seen big improvements in just the last few years.”
“We want to work with parents and school communities in a co-operative way to further build on those recent improvements.”
“This is part of the Greens broader healthcare strategy, which is about lifting the burden on acute care by encouraging Tasmanians to lead healthier lifestyles.
“Every dollar invested in preventive healthcare is returned to the health system many times over.”
The Greens Healthy Schools, Health Children policy initiative is available for download:
http://tasmps.greens.org.au/sites/greens.org.au/files/u8532/.pdf/Feb28_Healthy%20Schools%2C%20Healthy%20Children_N%20McKim.pdf
Greens Leader Nick McKim
