How to encourage kids to eat more vegetables from your school canteen
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How to encourage kids to eat more vegetables from your school canteen
Introduction
The research that informed this brochure Only 6% of primary school aged children eat enough vegetables for
good health, and most vegetables are consumed at home at dinner
VegKIT is a 5-year project to develop tools and interventions to time. Canteens can play a role in increasing children’s vegetable
increase children’s’ vegetable intake. An analysis of 112 Sydney intake. There are over 5500 school canteens in Australia, and all of
primary school canteen menus showed that 69% of the menu items these canteens can have an influence on supporting healthy eating.
did not contain vegetables. There were no substantial differences
between government and non-government schools, schools of This brochure is aimed at primary school canteen managers and
different sizes and schools in different socio-economic areas. provides suggestions on how to increase the vegetable offering
through primary school canteens. Good tasting products, making the
Interviews with canteen managers highlighted the key barriers to healthier choice the easy choice for kids, and making preparation
increasing children’s vegetable intake in canteens are: as easy as possible for canteen managers have been the leading
principles for the suggestions in this brochure. Increasing vegetable
• low acceptance or demand, content in this way can support a vibrant canteen with foods
• perishability of produce, and attractive for parents and students.
• time required to prepare.
To find out more, visit vegkit.com.au.
Source: Beelen et al, 2020; Djakovic et al, 2019. References available upon request.
This brochure has been prepared by CSIRO, Healthy Kids
Association and Nutrition Australia Victoria Division.
Suggested citation: Beelen, J., Heffernan, J.E., Broch-Cochet, M., Djakovic, S., Lausen, M. and Poelman,
A.A.M. (2021) How to encourage kids to eat more vegetables from your school canteen.
1 Add veggies to dishes kids already love
Hot meals Sandwiches, wraps and rolls
1. Top pizza and garlic bread Adding vegetables to sandwiches
with vegetables. Add baby is a great way to get kids to eat
spinach, fresh tomato slices, vegetables. To make it easy, add
zucchini slices or mushroom one salad veg in any sandwich
as toppings on pizza and with a cheese, chicken, tuna or
fresh pesto (kale, rocket, ham filling with little changes to
spinach) to garlic bread. the price. You can stick to one
vegetable of the day and add it
2. Increase vegetable across all sandwiches. Rotate
content of popular mixed dishes. Aim for mixed dishes to the vegetable of the day throughout the week. That will save on
contain a variety of 4-5 preparation time.
different vegetables where
possible.
- Pasta dishes: tomato, Salads
onion, carrot, mushroom, Vegetables are already the
zucchini, spinach, hero in salads. You can make
asparagus salads a more complete meal,
- Burrito or taco: tomato, by including a grain component
onion, corn, carrot, such as pasta, rice, couscous or
mushroom, capsicum, lettuce quinoa, or a protein component
such as chicken or falafel. By
- Stir-fries or fried rice: onion, capsicum, broccoli, mushroom, doing this, parents and students
green beans, asparagus, carrot, snow peas may feel they are getting more
‘bang for their buck’ and would be more likely to buy a salad.
3. Add vegetables to hot foods that currently contain no
vegetables. Think about adding a vegetable side dish to meat
pies and sausage rolls, such as mushy peas or corn on the cob.
If making your own, several vegetables can be added without
changing its taste too much (e.g. onion, garlic, mushroom).
2 New vegetable ideas that kids will love
Snacks Ice blocks. CSIRO has created two new vegetable-based recipes that
have been approved by children.
Raw vegetables with dips.
Vegetable sticks might already • Orange: carrot and orange
be on your menu. Selling them - This ice block is made of 100% juice and has a sweet/sour
as a package with a colourful flavour that is familiar to children.
dip e.g. PURPLE (beetroot
puree), GREEN (pesto, tzatziki, • Green: zucchini, choko, passionfruit and apple
guacamole) or ORANGE (sweet
potato hummus) can really make - This novel and tasty ice block combines vegetable puree and
them fun and increase their fruit juice for a sweet and sour flavour and fun texture.
appeal to parents and children. For recipes see the following pages.
Offer a Crunch & Sip pack.
If your school participates in the Crunch and Sip program, create a
Meal deals with veggies on the side
new sales occasion by offering a combination of snacking vegetables
and fruits in three different colours e.g. cherry tomatoes with Offer a vegetable side dish
orange capsicum and green pear sticks or celery sticks with red in every meal deal. Examples
capsicum and apple slices. You may consider a subscription package include grated carrot with raisins,
for parents. Kids love to eat a rainbow! a small garden salad, corn on
the cob, a coleslaw with yoghurt
Soups. Vegetable soups like pumpkin or tomato soup can be a tasty
dressing, cooked broccoli or
addition to the winter menu and can be loaded with vegetables.
cauliflower florets with a cheese
sauce, zucchini-corn fritters,
green beans with a vinegar
dressing, mashed vegetables
(carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato), corn kernels with cheese melted on
top, mixed beans, roasted sweet potato or beetroot, edamame.
Keep to 1-2 side dishes every week to ensure the canteen staff’s jobs
are easier.
Ice block recipes
Zucchini and passionfruit
Note: these recipes make 1.5L of juice which is enough to make 20 ice
blocks of 75 mL each.
Equipment: Method:
1. Let passionfruit defrost.
Carrot and orange • Chopping board
You will need 150mL
• Knife
juice, preferably with the
Equipment: • Blender / food processor / seeds removed.
• Chopping board Nutribullet
2. In a large pot with
• Knife • Large pot with steamer steamer insert, steam
insert chokos for approx.
• Fruit juicer
• Measuring jug (>500mL 14mins until soft but still
• Measuring jug (>500mL
capacity if available) holding shape (you may
capacity if available)
• Large deep container/jar need to do in batches).
• Large deep container/jar
(min. 2L capacity) Let cool.
(min. 2L capacity)
• Large/long metal spoon 3. Blitz raw zucchini into a
• Large/long metal spoon
very fine puree until you
Ingredients: have 260g and transfer to
Ingredients:
• Approx. 1kg chokos large jar/container.
• 15 large juicing carrots
(washed, cut in ¼ with 4. Once choko is cool,
(washed and ends removed)
seed removed) weigh out 790g and blitz
• 5-6 oranges (skin removed) into a puree. Add to
OR, 750mL sweet fresh- • Approx. 270g zucchini
zucchini puree.
tasting orange juice (washed with ends
removed) 5. Add 150mL passionfruit
juice (preferably no
• Approx. 300g bought seeds) and 300mL
Method:
frozen passionfruit with bough apple juice to the
1. Juice carrots into measuring jug and transfer to large no additives vegetable purees.
container/jar until you have 750mL carrot juice.
• 300mL bought cloudy 6. Stir well to combine and
2. Juice oranges, or pour bought juice, into a measuring jug,
apple juice pour into ice block molds,
until you have 750mL juice.
then freeze (~6 hrs).
3. Transfer orange juice to large container with carrot juice. Aim for 75mL portion
4. Stir well to combine and pour into ice block molds, then (ensure portions don’t
freeze (~6 hrs). Aim for 75mL portion (ensure portions don’t exceed 250mL).
exceed 250mL.). 7. Serve frozen.
5. Serve frozen.
3 Make vegetables happen
Promotion Pricing
Make sure it’s fun! Swap some protein for some vegetables to save costs. Cutting
back on meat in a sauce, e.g Bologonese, and replacing it with
Avoid promoting vegetables as good for health as this will steer vegetables like grated carrot and zucchini is a good way to fill the
children away from them. Rather, focus on fun, enjoyment and good dish out and increase vegetable intake. You can save money as meat
taste in promoting your menu items with vegetables. Give your can be more expensive than some vegetables.
meals/snacks creative names to appeal to children, e.g. Captain
Capsicum, Queen Pea, or use characters or offer a fun sticker Ensure your pricing strategy supports choosing vegetable-
when they purchase vegetable products. You can also organise a based dishes. Menu analysis across 112 NSW canteens showed that
competition for students to come up with new ideas for dishes or sandwiches with a vegetable filling and salads were more expensive
how to promote them. For ideas and resources, see than sausage rolls and meat pies. Set margins to be higher on
www.superherofoodshq.org.au/shop/. foods such as meat pies and sausage rolls so that meals and snacks
containing vegetables are more likely to be chosen.
Promote changes in your menu to parents and students through
your regular channels (e.g. newsletter, app) or a poster at
the canteen. Save time
Frozen and canned vegetables
Taste testing with students
Frozen and canned vegetables are an
Involve your students in taste affordable way to increase the vegetable
testing two or three options to content in meals. Always keep frozen onions,
choose the winning new recipe. kale, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach,
NSW School Canteen
Buyers’ Guide 2021
Students are more likely to ask canned tomatoes and corn kernels ready Healthy Kids Association
Registered Products:
their parents to purchase those to use in your dishes. The Healthy Kids
Everyday and Occasional
once they have tasted it and Association Buyers Guide lists suppliers that
know they like it. This is also a deliver frozen and canned vegetables.
way to attract new customers
and to make the canteen a Pre-cut vegetables
vibrant part of the school.
Several vegetables can be bought pre-cut or grated. Perhaps you can
work out a deal with your local greengrocer to buy in bulk and save
costs. Try diced or grated carrots for Bolognese, spiralised zucchini
and diced pumpkin for salads.
Fast facts
Children taste foods slightly different to adults.
They perceive foods as more bitter and less
sweet.
Adding a salty condiment or sauce helps mask
bitter taste.
Children learn to like a food by repeatedly
being exposed to it. Intake of small amounts
is sufficient.
This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the vegetable research and development levy
and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-
profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture. The project is underpinned
by a consortium of members from CSIRO, Flinders University and Nutrition Australia Victoria Division.
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