Food in school is not just about what is served in the dining hall. It is also about tuck shops, breakfast clubs, vending machines and what pupils, teachers and other staff choose to eat when they bring in packed lunches or buy from nearby shops.
So what’s the SNAG?
Simply changing the food in one of these areas is not enough to help improve the diet of all pupils, teachers and other staff. This is where a School Nutrition Action Group or SNAG can help make a difference.
A SNAG formed by pupils, teachers and other staff – with the committed support of the school – can take a whole-school approach to diet and nutrition, helping everyone to make real progress towards healthier eating.
What issues can a SNAG tackle?
Some of the following issues and actions could be tackled by the SNAG:
- remove all chocolate, junk food and fizzy drinks vending machines
- if vending machines are not removed, sell healthier snacks and bottled water as well
- conduct a high-profile awareness campaign on the benefits of healthy eating – including, for example, posters featuring celebrities, local athletes or footballers
- provide a choice of healthier options in the dining hall and remove chips, pizzas, pies and other less healthy options from the menu on certain days
- change the tuck shop, so that it sells only healthy items or fruit
- campaign to have mobile snack bars in the immediate vicinity of the school removed
- record what kind of food pupils are choosing through dining hall 'smartcards' ; use this information to monitor the success of healthy options, and provide the information to parents if requested.
The first steps towards change
The first step in the work of a SNAG is to find out exactly what types of food are currently sold and eaten in the school. Once the SNAG has this information, it can decide where the problem areas are and come up with suggestions for changing the type of food available.
Start with small targets: for example, make healthier choices like bottled water and flapjacks available in vending machines or provide healthy option days in the dining hall. As changes are introduced, the SNAG can monitor how pupils, teachers and other staff in the school respond to the healthier options before working on plans for bigger changes.
With the support of school staff, including teachers and catering staff, a SNAG can make a big impact and long-term changes to the food in your school.
Useful web links
- Grab 5!
Grab 5! is a project for schools with ideas and practical activities to help promote fruit and vegetables. The website contains downloadable materials including how to set up a School Nutrition Action Group. - Water is Cool in School
The Water is Cool in School website is a campaign to provide fresh drinking water for all pupils in school. Find out why drinking water is important and get posters, stickers and other campaign items for your school.
