Masila Nicodemus, Smith Kylie J, Waddingham Suzanne, Jose Kim
Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
School of Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Health Promot J Austr. 2025 Jan;36(1):e916. doi: 10.1002/hpja.916. Epub 2024 Aug 20.
School food policies in Australia have the potential to positively impact healthy eating in schools. While the policies are reviewed regularly, it is unknown if revised school food policies have incorporated the recommendations from a 2020 review of nutrition policies in publicly funded institutions. This review aims to examine the current state of Australian school food policy environment, including national-level guidelines, food safety, allergy, and anaphylaxis management policies.
School food policy documents were identified by searching the federal government, and Departments of Health and Education websites of Australian jurisdictions. The L'Abbé framework for monitoring and evaluation of nutrition policies guided the data analysis.
Eleven policies/guidelines from Australian national and state/territory governments were reviewed in 2023. Four state/territory policies had major updates since 2020. The consistency of nutrition standards improved across five jurisdictions, although a common nutrient classification system would have allowed better comparison. Implementation guides/tools and supporting resources were provided in all policies although their comprehensiveness varied. Policy monitoring and evaluation guide/tools, and local food procurement were incorporated in two additional policies. School principals were responsible for policy implementation and schools for independent compliance monitoring.
Continued improvement in monitoring and evaluation plans, policy review timelines, and support systems for schools is needed to enhance implementation and impact of school food policies. External stakeholder support may help school leadership in more effective policy implementation. SO WHAT?: Limited progress in incorporating recommendations into current school food policies calls for additional support and strategies to enhance policy implementation and monitoring.
澳大利亚的学校食品政策有可能对学校的健康饮食产生积极影响。虽然这些政策会定期进行审查，但尚不清楚修订后的学校食品政策是否纳入了2020年对公共资助机构营养政策审查的建议。本审查旨在研究澳大利亚学校食品政策环境的现状，包括国家层面的指导方针、食品安全、过敏和过敏反应管理政策。
通过搜索澳大利亚各司法管辖区的联邦政府以及卫生和教育部门网站来确定学校食品政策文件。用于监测和评估营养政策的拉贝框架指导了数据分析。
2023年对澳大利亚国家和州/领地政府的11项政策/指导方针进行了审查。自2020年以来，四项州/领地政策有重大更新。五个司法管辖区的营养标准一致性有所提高，尽管采用统一的营养分类系统会便于更好地进行比较。所有政策都提供了实施指南/工具和支持资源，但其全面性各不相同。两项额外政策纳入了政策监测和评估指南/工具以及本地食品采购内容。学校校长负责政策实施，学校负责独立的合规监测。
需要持续改进监测和评估计划、政策审查时间表以及学校支持系统，以加强学校食品政策的实施和影响。外部利益相关者的支持可能有助于学校领导更有效地实施政策。那又如何？：在将建议纳入当前学校食品政策方面进展有限，这需要额外的支持和策略来加强政策实施和监测。
