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Item Policy Versus Practice: School Food Practices Do Not Reflect Healthy Food Guidance in New Zealand Primary Schools(Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society, 2025-10-20) Pillay D; Ali A; Wham C; Evans CObjective: To examine how school food policies and perceived barriers influence food provision in New Zealand primary school canteens, using the ‘Healthy Food and Drink Guidance for Schools.’ Design: Cross-sectional analyses of school food menus, and school food policy and practices surveys completed by school leaders/principals. Setting: New Zealand primary schools. Participants: 239 primary schools completed the school food policies and practices survey, and 80 schools provided canteen menus. Results: Most schools reported having a healthy food and drink policy in their school (76.2%) and promoted healthy eating during school hours (87.4%). Two-thirds (69.5%) identified barriers to healthy food and drink provision, most commonly the convenience of ready-made foods (39.3%), and resistance from parents (34.3%). The number of reported barriers was not a significant predictor for the presence of a school food policy (OR-1.034, p=0.841). School menus (n=80) consisted of 16.4% ‘green’ items, 34.7% ‘amber’ items, and 36.8% ‘red’ items. There was no relationship between the percentage of ‘green’, ‘amber’, and ‘red’ items and the presence of a school food policy or reported barriers. More than a third (38.9%) of menus from schools that reported they had a ‘Plain Milk and Water’ only policy still contained sugar-sweetened beverages. Conclusions: Although most New Zealand primary schools had healthy food policies, this was not consistently reflected in healthy food items on canteen menus. Further research is needed to understand how systemic barriers, such as cost, convenience, and parental influence, affect policy implementation and school food provision.Item Examining the New Zealand school food environment: what needs to change?(Cambridge University Press, 2022-08-15) Pillay D; Ali A; Wham CAHabitual dietary intakes and nutrition behaviours developed during childhood and adolescence pave the way for similar behaviours to manifest in adulthood. Childhood obesity rates have now reached a point where one in six children globally are classified as overweight or obese. Schools have the unique ability to reach almost all children during key developmental stages, making them an ideal setting for influencing children's nutrition behaviours. Evidence suggests the school food environment is not always conducive to healthy food choices and may be obesogenic. The aim of this narrative review is to explore factors that influence the healthy food and drink environment in and around schools in New Zealand. The review focused on evidence from New Zealand and Australia given the close resemblance in education systems and school food guidance. Using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework, the school food environment was categorised into the following domains: economic, political, physical and socio-cultural factors. Findings suggest that food policies are not utilised within schools, and guidelines to improve the school food environment are not well implemented. Canteen profit models, lack of staff support and resources, and higher availability of low-cost unhealthy foods are among barriers that hinder implementation. This review highlights recommendations from existing evidence, including canteen pricing strategies, restriction of unhealthy foods and using peer modelling in a time-scarce curriculum to improve the school food environment. Key areas for improvement, opportunities to enhance policy implementation and untapped avenues to improve the food and nutrition behaviours of children are highlighted.