The importance of healthy food is undeniable, especially with the growing problems of childhood obesity and the temptations of junk food aimed at kids. In 2009, the English Montreal School Board adopted a new Nutrition Policy to combat these trends, promoting healthy eating habits and distributing nutritious foods to students

What does that mean for lunches made at home?

You can actively contribute to healthier eating, as outlined by the Nutrition Policy, by choosing nutritious and varied foods for your child’s lunch box or snacks by:

• Prioritizing foods from the 4 food groups of Canada’s Food Guide when packing lunch boxes and snacks.
• Vegetables and Fruit
• Grain Products
• Milk and Alternatives
• Meat and Alternatives
• Avoid products in which sugar is the first ingredient listed (other names for sugar include sucrose, fructose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, invert sugar, malt syrup or corn syrup).
• Avoid products containing saturated or hydrogenated fats (trans fats) such as shortening, hydrogenated oil, lard, tallow, palm or palm kernel.

To avoid allergic reactions:

Some students suffer with food allergies. In order to reduce the risk of unfortunate events at Pierre de Coubertin, all students are asked to prioritize fruits and vegetables and dairy products as snacks.

Students at risk of anaphylactic reactions should only eat food prepared at their home and should be discouraged from sharing foods with classmates. To avoid allergic reactions

• Inform School and ensure that auto-injectors (Epipen) are readily available.
• Ask the Principal about the “designated eating area for allergic students” in your school.

Providing a safe environment for Pierre de Coubertin students is a major concern! However, we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. Parents should also take all necessary precautions.