Bellarine Community Health (BCH) wants the state government to introduce a school meals program to help many children and their families.
The call was made in a submission by BCH’s Healthy and Connected Communities team to the Parliamentary Inquiry into food security in the state.
The inquiry is considering the impacts, drivers of and solutions for food security in Victoria, including the impact of food insecurity on physical and mental health, poverty and hardship, and the options available to lower the cost of food and improve access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food.
“School meals can lessen the impact of household food insecurity and support families by reducing the time burden, mental load and social pressures experienced when preparing school lunchboxes,” BCH healthy communities planner Pen Lynch said.
“A nourishing balanced meal at school can provide children with what they need to grow, learn and thrive.”
The BCH Healthy and Connected Communities team works in many education settings particularly across the northern Bellarine and one of their focus areas is supporting young people to eat well.
BCH said there has been a notable increase in food security concerns in recent years with many food relief agencies reporting a dramatic increase in demand due to the current economic climate.
“A universal school meal program would enable all students to have access to school provided meals, regardless of their socioeconomic background, and improve children’s nutrition and overall wellbeing,” Ms Lynch said.
In its submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry, BCH noted many examples of how school meal programs have been implemented across Australia and internationally, including the Tasmanian School Food Matters, School Lunch Program which receives ongoing funding from the Tasmanian government.
The Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee (LSC) will review all submissions and deliver a report in November this year.
