School canteens are still selling soft drinks, iced teas and sports waters despite sugary drinks being banned from public school tuckshops since 2007, while others are offering cheap meal deals with fried food and cans of drink, prompting concerns that students' diets are getting worse.
Some high schools, including Sydney Boys, Baulkham Hills, Bonnyrigg and Asquith Girls, sell drinks which are on the NSW Department of Education's banned food list, while many others, including The Hills Sports High, Burwood Girls and Macquarie Fields High, sell fried food, hot dogs and slushies.
Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, who helped develop the menu guide for the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy, said she was "appalled" at some of the canteen menus she had seen recently.
"The departments of health and education need to get together and do something about this because the voluntary code obviously isn't working," Dr Stanton said.
"A lot of schools have outsourced their school canteens and the meal deals they are selling are just awful, they are selling such things as a burger, chips and a soft drink."
Ms Stanton said some schools were also selling hash browns, croissants and bacon and egg rolls for breakfast. "This is not what kids need or should be having," Dr Stanton said.
"Children in Australia are not eating well and when I see menus like this, I wonder who on earth is in charge and it definitely looks like we are going backwards."
Canteens are often cash-cows for struggling public schools, with some run by P&C groups while others are privately operated, making as much as $50,000 a year for their schools.
Last year, privately operated canteens made $5.5 million for the education department.
The department says implementation of the Healthy School Canteen Strategy is mandatory for public school canteens but despite this, many schools flout the guidelines.
Others, however, offer healthy options such as home-made soups, sushi, yoghurt with berries or muesli, vegetable sticks with hummus and salads.
NSW opposition education spokesman Ryan Park said schools had an obligation to ensure students were eating well and were not exposed to sugary products on a daily basis.
"It is very concerning that some schools have decided not to follow the healthy eating guidelines that are in place," Mr Park said.
"The NSW Government needs to be providing more support to schools to make sure they understand the important role they play in helping children make healthy eating choices.
"At a time when childhood obesity levels are at record levels the government must ensure that schools are following these guidelines which are designed to ensure students have access to fresh healthy food and drinks when they are at school."
A spokesman for the department said all sugar sweetened drinks had been banned from sale from school canteens and vending machines since 2007 as part of the Healthy School Canteen Strategy.
"A healthy canteen is one of many ways we address healthy eating and lifestyle behaviours with students. Students learn about healthy eating through the curriculum and through implementation of the Live Life Well at School program," the spokesman said.
"This program provides a range of professional learning activities for primary school teachers that promote a 'whole of school' approach to healthy eating and physical activity."
