Morpeth Public School has filled its menu with vegetables, which often go undercover, and nutritious snacks to help primary school students power through the day.

Macaroni, with 13 hidden vegetables, is their best seller. Other popular dishes include spaghetti bolognese, which is served with undercover vegetables, and homemade pizza and garlic bread. 

The canteen is so health conscious it has surpassed the state government’s canteen traffic light system where foods are labeled red, orange or green depending on the nutritional value.

It is also way in front of the Food and Drink Benchmark, which will replace the traffic light system. Under this system 75 per cent of the canteen menu must be filled with vegetables, sandwiches, pastas, stir fries and fruits.

The P&C’s fundraising efforts, and hard-working volunteers, have made the change possible and provided funds to employ a canteen manager three days a week.  

Canteen manager Rebecca Buehler takes care of the weekly ingredients list and manages the volunteers.

They have a cook up in the canteen kitchen once a week to make enough food to fill their weekly menu. 

Two Thermomixes and a large oven, which the P&C bought from fundraising proceeds, has helped make the task a lot easier. 

“We have built this completely through volunteers and now we are able to have a paid canteen manager,” P&C president Carley Fidock said. 

“It’s been a long task, but it’s so worth it for the kids.

“The difference in the children’s behaviour without additives is incredible. 

“Just cutting out those blue delightful ice blocks in the afternoon you can see the difference in the kids at the last afternoon play session.”

Students who regularly ate unhealthy food from the canteen enticed the P&C to change the menu. 

“If they are eating good at school at least they are getting one good meal a day,” Ms Fidock said.

“Unfortunately there are kids that aren’t getting great nutrients.”

Ms Buehler makes healthy snacks for the kids to buy at recess and lunch time including animal shaped fruit, homemade ice blocks, fruit salad and fruit snacks. 

She said the menu was deliberately very affordable.

“I love the look on the kids faces, they come back and say they love it,” she said. “Sometimes they give me suggestions.”

The rising demand for whole foods has led the canteen to open four days a week, instead of three. 

Ms Buehler buys the ingredients from local farmers and fruit suppliers.