Healthy Active Learning

Healthy Active Learning is a government programme that delivers education and health outcomes for children and youth across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Healthy food and drink guidance and tools

Guidance

As part of the Healthy Active Learning initiative, the Ministry of Health has updated its food and nutrition guidance for education settings. The guidance supersedes Fuelled4Life which was retired in February 2020.

The guidance aligns with the National Healthy Food and Drink Policy for District Health Boards but is adapted to meet the needs of children with the aim of creating consistent messages across a range of education settings.

The guidance represents the Ministry of Health policy for food and drink available in education settings. It addresses the types and portion sizes of foods available in schools, kura, and English and Māori medium early learning services. Food and drink that staff or children bring for their own consumption is excluded from this guidance.

Toolkits

To support implementation of this guidance, toolkits have been developed in te reo Māori and English. These are available to all schools, kura, and English and Māori medium early learning services. A health promotion workforce based in public health units throughout the country will provide practical support to assist education settings to create healthier food environments.

Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services provides our recommendations on reducing the risk of food-related choking in early learning services such as early childhood education services, ngā kōhanga reo and certificated playgroups.