Breaking even and beyond: Tips for a healthy and profitable canteen

Research shows that healthy canteens are finanically successful:

• A 2018 QLD study found menus with a larger offering of nutritious options were more likely to make a profit and had a greater value of sales. [1]
• In 2017, a study of 10 NSW schools showed that when healthier options were actively promoted, there was no significant difference in the average weekly canteen revenue. [2]
• A 2016 study showed 82% of WA school canteens broke even or made a profit with healthy canteen menus. [3]

Promote nutritious foods and drinks

Make nutritious items your new best sellers using the 4 Ps of marketing:

• Product: Is the item desirable? Is it tasty, attractive, with a catchy name?
• Price: Is it affordable, and is it good value compared to other items?
• Place: How do families and students access it? e.g. via lunch orders, over the counter, every day or on special days
• Promotion: How is it promoted to students and families? e.g. via signs at the canteen, newsletter, canteen menu, school social media

Be a savvy shopper

• Buy ingredients in bulk, and/or when they are on special.
• Find cheaper products and/or brands. Use FoodChecker’s product search to find GREEN and AMBER products, then see which ones are cheaper.

Take the time to get it right

• Some schools update their canteen all at once, and others introduce changes slowly. You can take small steps by replacing one item at a time with a healthier alternative.
• Give new items time to gain momentum before deciding if they are a good seller.
• Trial new recipes and get feedback before adding them to the menu.

Engage the whole school

• Engage students and staff with making changes e.g. hold a competition for naming new items, conduct a survey for menu ideas and use classroom activities to create new menu items.
• Communicate changes and why you are making them to everyone at your school to gain support. View our Newsletter insert ideas.
• Share results from surveys and recipe trials with school leadership to get their support and ongoing commitment to having a healthy canteen.

1. Improve our tuckshops- 2018 Queensland Tuckshop Snapshot survey. Christine Stewart, Amiee Johnston, QAST, Queensland Government, 2019.
2. Delaney, T. et al. Cluster randomized controlled trial of a consumer behavior intervention to improve healthy food purchases from online canteens. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2017.
3. Stakeholder perceptions of a school food policy ten years on, S Pettigrew et al. , 2017, Public Health Nutrition
4. Nutrition and Physical Activity Branch. NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy Evaluation Report 2005.Sydney: NSW Department of Health, 2006.