Memorandum by The Green Machine (WP 01)
THE GREEN
MACHINE
The Green Machine is a company which develops
and sells products in its own vending machines, offering healthier
alternatives to the snack foods commonly found in many vending
machines, which are often high in fat, salt and added sugar. The
Green Machine vending machines are mainly placed in public places
such as schools. The Green Machine only stocks products that are
organic and/or natural, and which are free from artificial colours,
flavourings, preservatives and additives. All the products in
The Green Machine are checked by the Hyperactive Children's Support
Group (HACSG) and we work closely with them when developing products.
COMMENTS
The Green Machine welcomes the committee's attention
to this White Paper and is keen to be a stakeholder in the way
that the public health agenda is taken forward. It is vital that
children and parents are given help in reducing the proportion
of children's diets that are made up of foods, snacks or meals
that are high in fat, sugar and/ or salt. It is also important
that children and their parents have full information about what
constitutes a balanced and healthy diet.
This submission focuses on chapter 3 of the
White Paper, relating to children and young people, and considers
the three points of the terms of reference of the inquiry in turn.
1. Whether the proposals will enable the
Government to achieve its public health goals
One of the key policy objectives set out in
the White Paper with regards to children is the target "to
halt, by 2010, the year-on-year increase in obesity among children
under 11" (para 10, pg 43), something we very much support.
The White Paper emphasises the need to integrate services and
public policy programmes, and adopt a holistic view, in order
to achieve this. We have four comments relating to this:
— The "whole school approach"
to children's nutrition needs to be as inclusive as possible and
incorporate food obtained by children from all sources on school
premises, ie including vending machines, for nutritional guidelines
to be as effective as possible. The effect of healthy school lunches
could otherwise be undermined by the continued availability of
unhealthy snacks. There is therefore a strong rationale for extending
nutritional standards being developed for school meals to include
vending machines. Therefore, we strongly support the government's
intention[1]
to do so, and hope that this proposal will be realised. We are
unconvinced by suggestions only allowing fruit, milk, water and
juice to be sold in schools, as this may well lead to children
simply leave the safety of the school premises to buy unhealthy
products from local convenience stores.
— In order to improve children's health
it is vital to look at the worrying rise in childhood obesity,
but also at other issues which are impacted by diet, such as Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Our concern is that if
the regulatory parameters are defined too narrowly around obesity,
there is the potential for an adverse effect in other areas of
public health. The Green Machine tackles this particular issue
by ensuring all products are free of artificial colours, flavours,
preservatives and additives.
— The Public Health White Paper indicates
that the government wants to see schools actively promoting healthy
food and drink and restricting the availability and promotion
of other options (para 54, pg 57). We applaud this proposal and
hope to see it applied to vending machines as well as school meals.
This would also ensure that clear and consistent messages (para
54, pg 57) are about nutrition are not contradicted by school
policies towards vending machines.
— We believe that the Food in Schools
package (para 59, pg 58) which the White Paper indicates will
be available from early 2005, has the potential to be a very useful
resource for schools, and we welcome the inclusion of guidance
on healthy vending machines in the package. The Green Machine
would be happy to provide further information to assist in producing
this guidance.
2. WHETHER
THE PROPOSALS
ARE APPROPRIATE,
WILL BE
EFFECTIVE AND
WHETHER THEY
REPRESENT VALUE
FOR MONEY
We welcome the government's proposals and specifically
believe that nutritional guidelines, the promotion of healthy
foods, and the existing Healthy Schools Programme and Healthy
Living Blueprint are positive steps forward in improving children's
diets in the UK. The extension of school meal standards to include
vending machines is, in our opinion, a complementary measure which
will ensure maximum effectiveness of the government's proposals.
However, similarly there is a risk that food
obtained outside the school premises will have the same effect.
The Green Machine recognises the need for regulation in this area,
yet it needs to be both proportionate and evidence based. For
example, we are unconvinced that only allowing fruit, milk, water
and juice to be sold in schools will not mean children do not
simply leave the safety of the school premises to buy unhealthy
products from the local convenience store. In addition, schools
often receive valuable revenue from vending machines and are likely
to be concerned about losing this revenue should children vote
with their feet in this way.
Thus, we advocate a measured approach whereby
popular snack choices are available to children but the products
on offer are healthier than the standard products usually available,
in terms of fat, sugar and salt content but also free from artificial
additives. This approach has key benefits in terms of improving
nutrition whilst keeping children on site and preserving the extra
revenue which the school receives.
3. WHETHER
THE NECESSARY
PUBLIC HEALTH
INFRASTRUCTURE AND
MECHANISMS EXIST
TO ENSURE
THAT PROPOSALS
WILL BE
IMPLEMENTED AND
GOALS ACHIEVED.
The next phase of the Healthy Schools Programme,
from April 2005 (para 49, pg 55), will require a healthy school
to have policies on healthy and nutritious food. We believe that
this framework can deliver the government's strategies for improving
children's diets and we look forward to the guidelines on managing
healthy vending machines which we hope will help schools to work
with us to provide healthier products to children throughout the
school day.
The Every Child Matters programme, and the outcomes
for children which the new framework for Ofsted inspections focuses
on, will also help to deliver better nutrition for children through
the increased emphasis on the health of children and young people—this
must include looking at policies on food available throughout
the school day.
Recommendations:
— Extend nutritional standards for
school meals to include products from vending machines.
— Strongly encourage schools to play
host only to healthier vending machines, restricting the availability
of unhealthy snacks, but not limited to fruit, milk and water.
— Adopt a measured approach which still
includes popular snack options, to ensure children do not turn
to local convenience stores instead, and schools do not lose out
on revenue.
— Highlight success stories such as
in Gloucestershire through promotion of best practice and sharing
of information across LEAs.[2]
January 2005
1 "Subject to legislation, extending the new
standards to cover food across the school day, including vending
machines and tuck shops" para 57, pg 58 of the Public Health
White Paper. Back
2
Dene Magna School-see Healthy Living Blueprint Objective
3: To Ensure the Food and Drink Available Across the School Day
Reinforces the Healthy Lifestyle Message. Back
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