No Time to Wait: The Health Kids Strategy - Ontario

in 2008, and 300 existing programs incommunities with the highest needwere expanded. Some programs, suchas Breakfast for Learning, are sponsoredby private companies. These modelscould form the basis for a more universalprogram.The food environment in schoolsand child care settingsChildren spend at least six hours a day –or 40 per cent of their waking time – atschool 141 or in child care, and parentsare concerned about the quality of foodprovided in those settings.“ It is difficult to raise a healthy child in an unsupportiveenvironment. You can do everything ‘right’ at home,but then send your child to child care and they are fedunhealthy foods.”Focus group parentDespite the Ministry of Education’s SchoolFood and Beverage Policy that requires allOntario school cafeterias to sell only healthyfoods, parents talked about the fundraisingefforts that bring unhealthy foods intoschools, such as hot dog sales, pizza daysand bake sales. Schools often depend onthe revenue from these sales to supportactivities.“ Schools should be required to promote healthyeating. We have such enthusiasm for hot dogdays (with no veggie dog option), as well aspizza days, I can’t comprehend. A healthy mealis not pizza + fruit drink + fruit snack. Nor is itthe chocolate milk being provided .... They areall processed foods geared towards kids.”Parent surveyOntario has a range of other policies toensure that children receive nutritious foodsin child care and school settings, such as theDay Nurseries Act and the Ministry of Childand Youth Services Nutrition Guidelines forStudent Nutrition Programs. However, thesepolicies differ considerably and can causeconfusion when applied in the same settings.RecommendationsWith a few key changes, we can create ahealthier food environment and makehealthy food choices the easy choices forOntario families.2.1 Ban the marketing of high-calorie,low-nutrient foods, beverages andsnacks to children under age 12.While Ontario families will continue tobe exposed to “spillover” media from theU.S., the panel recommends that Ontariouse legislation as one tool – establish amechanism to monitor the implementationand impact of the three-part strategy –to create a healthier food environment.The ban should include advertising targetingchildren on television, in magazines, onbillboards, online, and in stores and fastfood restaurants in Ontario. Because manycompanies will be advertising their productsnationally, programs and magazinesproduced in other parts of the country141 The Education Act specifies that there must be at least five instructional hours/day, plus minimum 40 minute lunch and two recesses of at least10 minutes (total of six hours minimum at school each day).34