In our Week 5 newsletter, our feature story spotlighted  NTCOGSO's ongoing support regarding the importance of physical literacy in our schools. This fortnight - we remain in the space of student wellbeing and turn our focus to nutrition - healthy eating and drinking across NT government schools.

Back in 2023, NTCOGSO's Full Council motion on Healthy Food and Drink in Schools called for a proactive stance in advocating for healthy food in schools and for the Department of Education and Training (DET) to ensure adherence to their “School nutrition and healthy eating” policy and guidelines.

DET’s policy is clear that when food or drink is provided to students at school (including via canteens and other activities), schools must meet the requirements of the policy and associated guidelines and “all efforts must be made to ensure compliance”.

Consider the following:

  • 🔼 Unhealthy weight gain starts early and increases with age. 1 in 4 Australian children (aged 5-17) are considered overweight or obese (National Obesity Strategy 2022-2032) 
  • 🕒 During the week, children get a third of their daily food intake at school. What they eat during school hours has a significant impact on their health. (Flinders University, 2022)
  • 🧠 As children’s diets affect physical and cognitive development, and mental health, poor diet can also affect academic performance. (The Conversation Australia, 2025)

Recently, NTCOGSO reviewed a sample of NT school menus to identify system-wide trends, rather than to assess or single out individual schools. While many canteens include healthier options such as salads, fruit, sandwiches and water, a number also feature items that appear inconsistent with the “red - not on the menu” classification or suggest that “amber - select carefully” items may be overly prominent.

📣 What is NTCOGSO calling for? 

In line with the 2023 Motion, NTCOGSO is calling for stronger oversight and practical support from the Department to ensure all food provided in NT government schools aligns with DET nutrition policy and guidelines. This includes removing ‘red’ items, ensuring ‘green’ foods are the main offering, applying serve size limits consistently, and improving transparency through publicly accessible menus and policies. NTCOGSO is also seeking clearer information for families about food and drink provided across all settings, including canteens, breakfast programs, excursions, OSHC, sport events and fundraising activities.

Some additional articles related to school nutrition that you may be interested in: 

🥪 'What 200 Lunchboxes Taught Researchers About Feeding Kids' published by Education Daily on 24 Feb, 2026.

🥗 'Urgent need for tailored, multilevel strategies to address teens’ unhealthy eating: new research' published by Education HQ on 01 Aug, 2025.

🍱 'Australian kids BYO lunches to school. There is a healthier way to feed students' published by The Conversation Australia on 05 June, 2025.