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Bemused teachers have been told to stop drinking coffee in front of students under a food health rating policy introduced into ACT public schools in March that deems pizzas, burgers and nuggets "sometimes food". Australian Education Union ACT secretary Glenn Fowler said teachers needed to have the rationale behind the system explained properly. "[Teachers drinking coffee] is something which has occurred since time immemorial, it is an iconic vision of a teacher one would imagine," he said. "With all these things there needs to be a full explanation to staff as to why expectations are different. "Staff should be given the opportunity to push and prod at these expectations so that a common sense outcome can be arrived at." The traffic light system was introduced by the ACT government earlier this year to help children and parents make food choices to encourage healthy eating. It divides foods into three categories: green for foods that are good eating choices, amber for those that should be selected carefully, and red for those that should not be provided or sold in schools. Coffee-style drinks, fruit juice and butter were rated as red substances, as "they do not contribute positively to the diet and are low in nutritional value". Large amounts of takeaway foods such as popcorn and spring rolls have been rated as a 'sometimes' food. According to the ACT Public School Food and Drink Policy, teachers have been asked not to consume red food or drinks in front of students. A spokesman for the Education and Training Directorate said there was no disciplinary action taken against teachers who consumed red food in front of children. ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Associations vice president Hugh Boulter said the group did not have any problem with teachers drinking coffee in front of children and teachers often took their coffee in the staffroom. "Whilst food is very apparent in terms of what's being eaten, a drink in a mug is a lot harder to identify," he said. "It could just as easily be peppermint tea as a cup of coffee ... so I wouldn't have an objection in regard to that." Nutrition Australia ACT dietician and program manager Leanne Elliston said everyone would have their own opinion on what foods fell into which traffic light categories. "No system will be perfect and we certainly acknowledge that, but it is a move in the right direction and if it's getting canteens healthier than that's what we want," she said. "There's always going to be some foods which don't necessarily make sense." The Education spokesman said the National Healthy School Canteens guidelines had been developed by the federal government, along with the traffic light system, to categorise food and drinks according to their nutritional value. "The [guidelines] are based on the current Australian Dietary Guidelines, which gives advice on the quality and quantity fo foods and drinks recommended for children in Australia," he said.

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