School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG)
A School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) can help a school tackle its food provision in many ways from evaluating current provision to directing change and monitoring its impact.
The key to a successful SNAG is that a variety of partners, including teachers, catering staff, pupils, parent representatives and external agencies, for example dieticians, the school nurse, oral health educators or health promotion workers, are involved. It is also vital that it has the full support of the headteacher and senior management team of the school.
Rather than setting up a separate SNAG in your school it might be more practical for the pupil council to deal with the issues as part of their work with the appropriate involvement of other partners as required.
The starting point for most SNAGs will be to evaluate the food and drink already provided throughout the school, for example school meals, the breakfast club, vending machines and the supply of drinking water. They can also ask the school community for their ideas for change.
Once this information has been gathered, ideas for changes can be converted into an action plan, although it is important to realise that everything cannot change overnight and that small steps and targets are the best way forward.
Issues such as funding, marketing and sustainability of healthier food projects are important considerations for the SNAG to ensure that everyone in the school knows what is on offer and so that the project is more likely to be well supported and to succeed in the long term.
Ideas for action
Ideas for the issues that a SNAG might like to tackle include:
- healthy options in vending machines
- establishing a fruit tuck shop
- decorating the dining hall
- hosting healthy eating days at school dinners
- campaign to have unhealthy snack bars removed from near the school
- promote healthy eating using posters and events
- provide peer education on healthy eating to younger pupils
- take the SNAG message to associated or neighbouring schools
- introduce Fairtrade goods and create links to the curriculum in citizenship, geography and religious and moral education
- involve local athletes or footballers to support healthy eating
- link with local food providers, such as farmers or manufacturers, to learn more about how food is produced via project links and visits.
Once each project is tackled, time should be taken to monitor how the changes are received by both pupils and staff before thinking about the next project or bigger changes.
With continued support and commitment from all the partners involved, SNAGs can have a significant long-term impact on the quality of food provision in schools.
Your local health promotion department may be able to provide training and assistance to establish a SNAG in your school.
Useful links
Health Education Trust SNAG pages
The Health Education Trust has dedicated SNAG pages with news of SNAG initiatives and successes from across the country.
Grab 5!
Grab 5! is a project for schools with ideas and practical activities to help promote fruit and vegetables. The website contains downloadable materials including how to set up a School Nutrition Action Group.
Fairtrade Foundation
The Fairtrade Foundation website has information on products, suppliers and resources to help encourage the purchase of Fairtrade goods. It includes a section on how to convert your school to Fairtrade including practical tools and guides.
