Healthy tuck shops
Many pupils choose high fat, high sugar snacks for their mid-morning break but with nearly half of 11–15-year-olds in Scotland not having breakfast every day this can be their first food.
It is important to ensure that the right choices are available at the tuck shop so that everyone has the opportunity to eat something healthy and that what is sold there supports the whole school approach to healthy eating.
The School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) can help to find out what pupils think of the current tuck shop, gather ideas for healthier choices and also monitor how well the new choices sell.
Ideas for helping to ensure that healthier options are on sale at the tuck shop include:
- only selling low fat crisps
- replacing sweets and chocolate with cereal bars and dried fruit
- selling bottled water, milk drinks, fruit juices or smoothies
- providing home-baked goods such as muffins and fruit scones
- introducing yoghurt and fromage frais
- selling bread sticks, rice cakes and plain popcorn
- selling only fruit and vegetables.
Sourcing products to sell in your new healthy tuck shop could involve the school's catering service, local greengrocer, wholesale supplier or even supermarkets, who might provide a special deal to supply the tuck shop. Ask for a weekly subsidy in return for agreeing to buy all the tuck shop supplies from the one provider.
Fruit and vegetables
If you decide to set up a fruit and vegetables only tuck shop, make it more attractive by:
- chopping larger fruits into smaller pieces
- offering a selection of fruit in a small tub or bag
- trying more unusual fruits such as kiwi and having taster days
- making small packs of carrot, cucumber and celery sticks
- selling dried fruits such as sultanas, apricots, raisins, prunes and bananas.
Alongside a fruit tuck shop it would be a good idea to think about appropriate recycling or composting facilities for all those extra peels and cores that you will generate.
Highland Council and WHAM – Highland Waste Minimisation have produced guidelines for dealing with fruit and vegetable waste in schools. Similar guidelines and assistance may also be available in your area.
Word file: Highland Fruit and veg waste guidelines (29KB)Tuck shops often form an important source of extra revenue for schools and can also be a good enterprise venture for pupils, who can be encouraged to run them themselves. Younger pupils particularly enjoy being involved in preparing fruit and vegetables for sale.
NHS Forth Valley has produced a video to support the creation of healthy tuck shops in schools. More information is available from the health promotion team on 01786 431158.
Useful links
PDF file: Food Standards Agency Fruit Tuck Shop Guide
The Fruit Tuck Shop Guide for primary schools has been produced by the Food Standards Agency to help support schools as they establish and develop healthier tuck shops.
Grab 5! Healthy Tuck Shop
The Grab 5! website has ideas on how to establish a fruit tuck shop with examples of how other schools have done it. The Grab 5 website is run by Sustain.
