02 Aug Nourishing Kids’ Wellbeing with Healthy Canteen Options

Campbellfield Heights Primary School has recently joined the Vic Kids Eat Well initiative, taking a positive step towards promoting the health and wellbeing of our students. As parents, we can be proud of the school’s commitment to providing delicious and nutritious food options through its canteen.

Located in the City of Hume, our school caters to around 150 students. Our principal, Susie Bellizia, believes that the canteen plays a crucial role in helping our children access healthy meals and drinks, enabling them to thrive while learning and playing at school.

Vic Kids Eat Well, a free program, which supports schools, as well as outside school hours care, sports clubs, and community organizations across the state, offering nourishing canteen options to kids.

Their dedicated Canteen Manager, Mrs. Jess Nahas, who is also a parent at the school, is passionate about cooking and has been instrumental in making positive changes to our canteen menu. On average, we process around 70 lunch orders each day we’re open, with half of our students opting for the tasty and healthy options now available.

Thanks to the input from our students, we have introduced a shredded chicken salad with crunchy lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tomato, and optional avocado and lemon dressing. This salad has become immensely popular among both students and staff members. They also introduced fresh salad wraps, based on student feedback, for those looking for an alternative to traditional bread rolls. Additionally, our new baked chicken burgers with lite cheese, lettuce, and optional fresh tomato have become bestsellers.

Apart from these offerings, we provide students with free whole fruits and sell popcorn and packaged fruit cups. The positive response from families has been overwhelming, with many choosing to pre-order online, knowing their children will have access to freshly-made, nutritious options at school.

Their efforts to improve the canteen as part of the Vic Kids Eat Well initiative have not gone unnoticed as they have become eligible for rewards, including a digital recipe book and vouchers, which they plan to use to upgrade some utensils in the canteen’s kitchen.

Dr. Tope Adepoyibi, Head of Vic Kids Eat Well at Cancer Council Victoria, congratulated Campbellfield Heights Primary School and DPV Health for their commitment to children’s health and wellbeing. It is well-known that healthy eating enhances concentration and improves mood, and they are proud to be part of a program that nurtures the next generation of happy, healthy kids.

Vic Kids Eat Well, is a state-wide initiative (funded by the Victorian Government, delivered by Cancer Council Victoria and Nutrition Australia).

Join Vic Kids Eat Well for free at: vickidseatwell.health.vic.gov.au.