This document discusses challenges and opportunities for improving school tuckshop nutrition in remote Cape York communities. It summarizes that: 1) Good nutrition is important for children's growth and school performance, but remote tuckshops face challenges in interpreting guidelines and accessing healthy foods. 2) The authors consulted stakeholders and visited school tuckshops to understand operations better. They developed a Cape York Tuckshop Support Manual to help remote tuckshops implement healthy guidelines through suggested menus, suppliers, and equipment recommendations. 3) Next steps include piloting the manual, delivering nutrition education, and encouraging schools to adopt a health-promoting approach across the whole food environment.

1. Supporting Healthy School
Tuckshops in Cape York
Jessica English & Danica Warren
Public Health Nutrition Students | University of the Sunshine Coast
What We Found
Transferring the evidence and Smart Choices guidelines to the remote Cape York setting
BACKGROUND
Why is nutrition important for children?
Good nutrition is required to fuel growth, development and
daily activities in children. It is important for good
performance at school. The school environment provides a
great opportunity to influence children’s dietary intake as
they consume around one third of their total intake at
school.1
What does a healthy tuckshop look like?
Smart Choices guidelines were developed in 2005 and
made mandatory across all QLD schools. Smart Choices
indicate which foods and drinks students should
“have plenty”, “choose carefully” and “occasionally”.
A school compliant with Smart Choices provides healthy
foods and beverages, includes good nutrition messages
through the curriculum and involves the whole school
community.2
CHALLENGES
 Food supply challenges for Cape York
 Some guidelines are not easily transferable to
remote settings
 Guidelines difficult to interpret
 Confusion surrounding how to implement
guidelines
 Limited staff and infrastructure in remote
tuckshops
 Some tuckshops aren’t well supported within
the school environment
OPPORTUNITES
 Using a Health Promoting Schools approach
that incorporates the wider school community in
improving nutrition
 Increasing awareness and providing education
on guidelines can improve compliance
 Putting systems in place can allow for healthy
food supply to school tuckshops in remote
areas
 Ability to adapt and transfer some guidelines
and resources to the remote setting
Almost 50% of children
purchase food from the
school tuckshop at least once
per week1
1. Pettigrew et al 2009, Addressing Childhood Obesity through School Canteens, Report to the WA Department of Education and Training, Curtin University. Perth.
2. http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/healthy/food-drink-strategy.html

2. School Policy
External Suppliers
Community Stores
School
Environment
School
Tuckshop
NEXT STEPS
 Pilot, adapt and deliver materials to key
stakeholders
o Cape York Tuckshop Support Manual
o Tuckshop self-assessment evaluation checklist
o Draft Smart Choices in-service presentation
 Use developed materials in support manual to
design a sample tuckshop menu
 Encourage Cape York schools to adopt the Health
Promoting Schools approach through providing
nutrition information to students, parents and staff
 Explore ways to facilitate positive links between
school tuckshops and all factors in the school food
environment to improve Smart Choice compliance
What We Did
Putting the evidence into practice to support remote schools in Cape York
Cape York School
Food Environment
KEY ACTIVITIES
 Consultations with tuckshop support
organisation ‘Queensland Association of
School Tuckshops’
 Identifying and consulting with key tuckshop
suppliers for Cape York schools
 Investigation of Smart Choices guidelines
though comparison with National guidelines3
and Smart Choices updates
 School tuckshop visits to understand operations
o White Rock Primary
o Woree Primary
o Yarrabah Primary
RESOURCES DEVELOPED
 Cape York Tuckshop Support Manual for
remote tuckshops with limited staff and
infrastructure
o Healthy tuckshop evaluation checklist
o Information about potential suppliers
o Recommended equipment & products
o Suggested recipes
 Nutrition education session delivered to grade
5-6 students at Yarrabah
 Draft in-service presentation to inform remote
school staff of Smart Choices guidelines
3. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-nutrition-canteens
Literature
Review
Demystified
Smart
Choices
Guidelines
Stakeholder
Consultations
Understood
Tuckshop
Operations
Developed Cape York
Tuckshop Support
Manual
Assessed Kowanyama
School Menu
Developed Cape York
Tuckshop Support
Manual