New funding for tuckshop upgrades and investment in the School and Community Food Relief Program announced by Premier Steven Miles today, comes at a critical time for tuckshops and food security for Queensland families.

Funded under the Eat right, Play right, Learn well initiative, 100 school tuckshops will benefit from this funding to upgrade their facilities, making it easier to prepare healthy foods for hungry children.

In addition, $10.65 million will be distributed direct to schools to support food programs, prioritising schools in communities experiencing high cost of living pressures and food insecurity.

With 36 per cent of Australian households experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity in the last 12 months, supporting families to access healthy food within the school environment is imperative, according to Queensland Association of School Tuckshops CEO, Deanne Wooden.

“This is a welcome funding injection into the school food environment, but we do caution that shiny new equipment does not always guarantee a healthy menu within a tuckshop,” Ms Wooden said.

“School tuckshops are complex small businesses and convenors require a diverse skill set, including financial management, record keeping, reporting, customer relations, food safety, nutrition, menu design, food preparation, and volunteer recruitment and retention.

“As the only organisation specifically dedicated to building the capacity of Queensland school tuckshops to run a viable foodservice, in addition to feeding children healthy meals, we can’t help but feel that our organisation is missing out with this funding announcement.”

The Queensland Association of School Tuckshops (QAST) works closely with school tuckshops to build capacity in tuckshops and improve health outcomes for children.

Through member services and resources, and professional training like their Convenor Course and Pathway to Profit Course, they are able to upskill tuckshop convenors to confidently run profitable small businesses, while serving a healthy menu for students.

“The rise in the number of tuckshops on the brink of financial collapse in recent times, and the current cost of living crisis, has resulted in falling membership numbers for our organisation,” Deanne said.

“Much of what we do for Queensland tuckshops wouldn’t be possible without government support, so if this dries up, combined with falling membership, we’re at a real risk of shutting our doors.

“Then there will be no one supporting school tuckshops in Queensland.”