Are school canteens in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven set up for universal school meal programs?

<p dir="ltr">Universal school meal programs aim to provide all students with access to nutritious, balanced meals at school. They are recognised internationally for improving students’ health, learning outcomes and reducing the stigma around food assistance. Following a successful pilot program in one Illawarra school, members of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Food Futures Taskforce, including the Health Promotion team at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Healthy Cities Australia and researchers from the University of Wollongong are working together to explore how these programs could be implemented across the whole Illawarra and Shoalhaven region. Their shared goal is towards creating healthier and more inclusive school food environments to improve the rising concern of food insecurity across the region. </p><p dir="ltr">As a first step, mapping the available infrastructure already in schools to support the wider roll out of such a program is important. Many school canteens already contain essential kitchen infrastructure, such as ovens, fridges, freezers, and food preparation areas. Recognising this existing capacity helps to highlight the untapped potential within schools to support universal meal provision without requiring major new builds, but rather through strategic investment and coordination. Therefore, this report presents the results of an early mapping activity of current canteen infrastructure across Illawarra and Shoalhaven schools which helps to understand schools potential readiness to support a broader rollout of universal school meals. This work highlights existing strengths and opportunities that can guide future planning and investment, laying the groundwork for an equitable and sustainable approach to school meal provision across the region.</p>