Tolley terminates food police

Yay. This release just out from Anne Tolley:

Schools will no longer be required to act as food police under changes announced by Education Minister Anne Tolley today.

“As part of the National Government’s commitment to reducing compliance for schools, I have decided to remove the clause in National Administration Guideline (5) which states ‘where food and beverages are sold on schools’ premises, to make only healthy options available’.

“Feedback from schools I have spoken to suggests that this clause has created confusion for many of them particularly around fundraising and school events. The government considers regulation in this area unnecessary.

“I believe boards of trustees should be able to make their own decisions about appropriate food and drink options. After all, they are parents who should be aware of what ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods are. I am confident they will act responsibly.

Oh my God, you can’t trust parents. It is the Government’s job to decide what can be sold to their kids at school. Or at least it used to be.

“It should be noted that clause (ii) in the National Administration Guideline (5) that requires schools to promote healthy food and drink to students remains in place.

“I am aware of the great work that the majority of schools have already done in this area to ensure their students can make informed decisions about what they eat and drink as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Labour never got the difference between promote and control. It is one thing to promote healthy food. It is quite another to ban food you disapprove of as unhealthy.

“This change will help schools to concentrate on core business – providing students with a quality education and learning environment and concentrating on improving education standards.”

That would be good.

This is a small issue, but a symbolically important one.