"Our board changed its policy in 2004, so that vending machines in elementary schools now stock healthier choices, like juice, water, granola bars, lower fat cheese, crackers, Rice Krispie squares," said Durham District School Board communications manager Andrea Pidwerbecki.
She said high schools in the DDSB have been leaning towards healthier choices in their cafeterias for several years, too, but cafeteria services in both boards are contracted out to Chartwells education dining, a division of Compass Group Canada.
A note went out to secondary schools in the Durham Catholic District School Board last spring, asking them to take a healthy diet approach, said education director Paul Pulla.
"We developed a healthier policy on vending machines a while back and applied it to both elementary and secondary schools. Most elementary schools don't have vending machines anyway," said Mr. Pulla.
The provincial legislation will finalize an existing policy in elementary schools that bans chocolate bars, potato chips and soft drinks and will expand the junk food ban to high schools, once it's approved. The main reason cited is childhood obesity, which is estimated to affect one-third of Canadian children.
"Ever since the trans fat task force has been out, our company has been in total compliance. We do quite a few food services in Durham Region high schools, and work in 35 school boards in Ontario," said Donna Bottrell, director of nutrition at Compass Canada.
She said that foods with trans fats, like french fries or pastries, are now cooked in an oil that's trans fat free, but they are still offered on high school menus. She said very little, if anything, will come off the menus offered by Chartwells.
"We might remove cheesecake because of the ban, but everything else is pretty well in line now," said Ms. Bottrell.
"We have to make changes because it will cost our health care system so much money in the long-term. We have to be part of the solution. If we don't offer healthy choices to students, then we're not doing our jobs. Kids are now doing a better job on their own when they go out. We don't sell nearly as many french fries and items like that," said Ms. Bottrell.
She said the balanced choices program, which has a sign beside each food in that category, offers foods like penne pasta with meat sauce, a salad, and milk, or soup and sandwich with milk or juice.
