Parents and students are resuming the daily chore of packing school lunches. But, for some families the task will be easier, as Tasmania’s school lunches program expands. Another 15 school are getting ready to offer students free lunches when the school year begins.
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00:00For the past three years, mealtimes at Rokeby Primary School on Hobart's eastern shore
00:08have been a gourmet experience.
00:10Five stars. I get really good, like the food that my mum makes at my home.
00:18Since 2022, the school has taken part in Tasmania's School Lunches program, providing students
00:24with a healthy meal and snack at least once a week.
00:28What's your favourite bit?
00:30This, the potato.
00:32It's like really fun, like talking about the food and enjoying it at different ends.
00:37It's a way of connecting with the students over a meal, which is a bit like a family
00:43connection, I suppose, at home, sharing your day, what's working well.
00:46Over the next two years, the number of schools involved in the program will double.
00:51Springfield Gardens is one of 15 schools that will begin taking part this year.
00:56Improving the wellbeing of our students and the access to a good meal is always a benefit.
01:01Before students return to classes, the school had to get the necessary equipment ready,
01:06including an industrial oven and freezer.
01:09Later, it hopes to incorporate produce grown on site.
01:13I saw a genuine opportunity to continue building the understanding of good foods.
01:20The state government has committed just under $15 million for this program's expansion.
01:25But non-profit School Food Matters is hopeful it won't end there, envisioning a world where
01:30this program could operate in all Tasmanian schools.
01:34At the moment we're only working with government schools, but we know that the Catholic schools
01:38are very keen to be involved and the independent schools.
01:42It is an ambitious goal.
01:44A healthy appetite for expansion.