Grasslands Public Schools Policy Handbook Grasslands Public Schools
Sign in
Home
live
Administrative Procedure

AP-865 — Nutrition

Section Eight: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Effective Date: August 29, 2017 Last Reviewed: August 29, 2017

Background

The Board of Education believes that healthy eating is an integral part of growth and development and that good nutrition is conducive to student learning. Education in a health-promoting environment assists students to make healthy choices about nutrition, exercise and overall wellness. The school is an ideal place to provided education about nutrition. Students consume 30-50% of their daily food intake at school and schools have access to factual information on nutrition.

The province of Alberta has recognized the importance of nutrition in schools through the introduction of the School Nutrition Program. In addition to using the targeted grant from this program, Grasslands School Division will work with local service groups and other organizations to provide healthy food alternatives.

Schools are expected to provide information about healthy food choices, promote consumption of nutritious and dentally acceptable foods, and abide by the following restrictions on sale and distribution of non-nutritious foods.

This Administrative Procedure will be revisited during the 2017-2018 school year to improve the procedure and school adherence to the guidelines. A primary resource will be http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-school-nutrition-policy.pdf Some of the other resources to be examined will be: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-healthy-vending-toolkit.pdf http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/nutrition/Page2925.aspx , http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/Nutrition-Guidelines-AB-Children-Youth.pdf , http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-school-breakfast-program-toolkit.pdf , http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-school-resource-list.pdf ,

Guidelines

Application

This procedure pertains to what is sold or served in schools, regardless of the organizing group. It does not apply to celebratory events such as graduation. It does not apply to lunches brought from home or purchased elsewhere. It does not apply to meals purchased while participating in off-campus curricular or extracurricular activities.

Procedures

  1. Beverages

    Beverages sold or distributed in schools, including that in vending machines, will be limited to water, milk, chocolate milk or 100% fruit and/or vegetable juice products.

  1. Food Products
    1. References to percentages of foods served from "Choose Most Often" "Choose Seldom" or "Choose Least Often" lists, apply to number of food choices, not to percentage of sales.
    2. Principals are responsible to ensure that appropriate emphasis is given to the portion of the Health and Life Skills Kindergarten to Grade 9 program of study (Alberta Education 2002, and all subsequent revisions) that addresses nutritional health.
    3. Principals are responsible to ensure that appropriate emphasis is given to the portion of the Career and Life Management program of study (Alberta Education 2002, and all subsequent revisions) that addresses nutritional health.
    4. Principals are responsible to ensure that at least 50% of the food items sold or distributed in Grasslands' schools are in the Choose Most Often category, as described in ALBERTA NUTRITION GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH by January 1, 2011.
    5. Principals are responsible to ensure that no more than 40% of food items sold or distributed in Grasslands' schools are in the Choose Sometimes category, as described in ALBERTA NUTRITION GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH by January 1, 2011.
    6. Principals are responsible to ensure that no more than 10% of the foods sold or distributed in Grasslands' schools are in the Choose Least Often categories, as described in ALBERTA NUTRITION GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH by January 1, 2011.
    7. In planning meals, attention will be paid to appropriate serving sizes, as outlined in Canada's Food Guide.
    8. Principals are responsible to ensure that schools limit the use of food rewards.
    9. The superintendent is responsible to ensure that this procedure is revisited periodically with input from appropriate division personnel to remain current.
    10. This regulation is not intended to address food allergy concerns.

References

Canada's Food Guide (2007, and all subsequent revisions) http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Health and Life Skills Kindergarten to Grade 9 (Alberta Education 2002, and all subsequent revisions)

Career and Life Management (Alberta Education 2002, and all subsequent revisions)

ALBERTA NUTRITION GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH (Feb 2008 and all subsequent revisions)