Creating a healthy menu

Are you a school tuck shop operator or food provider looking to create a healthy menu? We’ve got tips and tricks to help you create a healthy, cost-effective menu that the kids will love.

The key to a healthy, cost-effective menu is to offer some core items that rarely change, while providing variety through seasonal and daily specials.

Here are some things to think about when planning your menu.

Follow nutrition guidelines

Good nutrition affects students’ behaviour, learning, concentration and energy, as well as their physical health. When students eat a nutritious diet, they find it easier to learn. Healthy Food and Drink Guidance – Schools supports you to make this happen.

The following principles will help keep your menu healthy:

Plenty of vegetables and fruit: offer salad dish, fruit as snack item, include vegetable in bread-based items and cooked meals.

Whole grains: prioritise wholemeal/whole grain bread, pasta and crackers, and brown rice.

Lean proteins: include beans and legumes, lean meats, fish, eggs and tofu in your meals.

Dairy or alternatives: choose low and/or reduced-fat options, such as cottage cheese, edam cheese, reduced-fat hard cheese, and reduced-fat yoghurt.

Limited salt, sugar and saturated fat

Limit food and beverages that are high in salt, sugar and saturated fat such as:

• pies
• sausages
• bacon
• crisps
• sweet baked products
• deep-fried food
• fizzy drinks.

If packaged snacks are on offer, choose products with Health Star Rating of at least 3.5.

If you have vending options on offer, see our healthy vending machine guide.

Include student preferences and incorporate cultural diversity

Meals such as macaroni cheese, bolognaise spaghetti, curry, lasagne, stir fried vegetable rice, sushi and burgers are popular choices with students.

You can include plenty of vegetable and legumes in recipes to make these dishes more nutritious. Studies had found that vegetable included in cooked meals are better received by students than that in cold items such as sandwiches and side salad.

Reflect the cultural background of your students by incorporating dishes from Māori, Pasifika, Asian or other local cuisines, such as chop suey, sushi, curry, dumplings.

Price school food wisely

Cost is a significant barrier for many students when purchasing from the school menu. A recent survey found that nearly two-thirds of high school students have a weekly budget of $10 or less for school food.

Providing a range of portion sizes at different price points can cater to varied budgets. Introduce value combos with healthier items can make healthy options more accessible to students.

Incorporate gradual changes to reduce food high in fat, salt or sugar

Popular tuckshop items like pies, hot chips, crisps, instant noodles, sweet baked goods, and flavoured milks are often high in salt, sugar, or saturated fat.

If these items have been offered on your menu, removing them entirely can lead to resistance. A more effective strategy is to make gradual, manageable changes that allow students to adjust over time without feeling deprived.

The following options could be explored:

• Offer smaller portion sizes of less healthy items, such as smaller cakes, cookies, or smaller-sized flavoured milks and juices, to reduce intake while still allowing occasional treats.
• Swap to healthier alternatives, for example replace standard pies with lower-fat, lower-salt versions, offer baked chips instead of deep-fried ones, replace high-sugar drinks with reduced-sugar or no-sugar options. Swap to products with a Health Star Rating of 3.5 or higher.
• Reformulate the recipe to make it more nutritious.

Modifying recipes

Healthy topping ideas for baking