News, Tips & Happenings

From rainbow wraps to breakfast champions, this is where we celebrate what makes school canteens so critical in our school communities.

Whether you’re a parent packing lunchboxes, a teacher curious about classroom nutrition, or a local supporter keen to make a difference, we share useful tips, meaningful stories, and fresh perspectives from our canteens and beyond.

We share updates and info regularly, so pop back to see what’s cooking in the world of healthy school food!

Feeding Every Child: Making School Meals Accessible in the Hunter Valley

One in five Australian households struggles with food insecurity. See how our canteens quietly bridge the gap, with your help. Almost two million Australian households are severely food-insecure and here is our local response… Catering Maitland partners with school principals and social workers to: Identify students quietly: no stigma, no…

Colourful Fruit & Veg for Growing Minds

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend two serves of fruit and five of vegetables for most primary-age children. And diversity is really important too. So why do the colours of our fruit and veg count for kids? Green (folate, vitamin K) ➜ memory formation. Orange (beta-carotene) ➜ eye development. Purple (anthocyanins)…

Fighting Food Waste: Smarter, Greener School Canteens

Australian school students throw out tonnes of edible food each year. How can the Hunter Valley’s healthy-canteens make a difference? Food waste uses water, fertiliser and diesel and produces methane. And lunchbox waste counts too. Here’s some Catering Maitland lunch-packing tips for families: Let the child repack leftovers so you…

More Than a Lunch Break: Why School Canteens Are Vital for Students

Discover how a nourishing breakfast and balanced school meals boost attention, behaviour and education outcomes for Hunter Valley students. “Can I have your attention, class?” Teachers know that request is much easier when students arrive fuelled by real food, not a rumbling stomach.Energy, iron and B-vitamins provided by whole-grain toast,…

Healthy Food, Better Learning: Why Nutrition Matters in the Classroom

Discover how a nourishing breakfast and balanced school meals boost attention, behaviour and education outcomes for Hunter Valley students. “Can I have your attention, class?” Teachers know that request is much easier when students arrive fuelled by real food, not a rumbling stomach. Energy, iron and B-vitamins provided by whole-grain…