The Tuck Shop

Think Nestle did the same for "Milo" milk/choclate/malt health drinks for the Olympics, no?

Wasn't there some fuss about companies like Coca Cola or manufacturers of junky snack foods being able to install vending machines in schools in return for, for example, subsidizing uniforms for the school band or sports teams?

Lots of it. Schools commonly have vending machines and get a cut of the profits. The vending machines aren't provided food manufacturers; it's local vending machine services.

There has been enough controversy that some schools have (reluctantly) gotten rid of them, added machines selling healthy snacks, or required that only healthy food be sold. Some localities passed laws forbidding them. A California law "Study: School vending machines undermine student nutrition." A new law requires the US Ag. Department to set national nutrition standards for school vending machine foods and drinks by the end of 2012. (The Ag. Dept. oversees the federal school lunch program which provides free or low cost lunches to kids whose families are at some poverty level. The Dept. already has standards for those lunches.)

A study published a year and a half ago found that for middle school children, vending machines influenced overall diet. If healthy foods (such as fruits & vegetables) were sold, then the kids dies included more healthy foods. Same thing for junk, especially candy. Kids with access to junk in vending machines ate more junk. "83% of schools surveyed had "vending machines that primarily sold food of minimal nutritional values (soft drinks, chips, and sweets)."

Our school tuck shop was staffed by volunteer mothers. They mooched about and sheltered in the shade from a sweltering, merciless Queensland sun. They did a lot of crocheting and knitting between little lunch and big lunch (yes, that's what we called it) and mostly discussed the latest frocks the Queen happened to be wearing at the time.

The food was ghastly, the pasties (side crimped) in particular. A grey, greasy unrecognizable gloop that vaguely resembled vegetable sweepings all bound together with some sort of glue.

The same mixture, sans chunks of carrots was employed in the construction of the sausage rolls with limited success.

This isn't about "truck" stops? Oh dear- and I was going to tout our local cinnamon buns- best in the world they said 2 years ago.

Tuck stops? Have no idea what you are all talking about. School cafeterias? Ugh.

Oh doggy ... mate ... you are showin your age ... and your nationality ... But I suspect we have both of those in common
...though I have to say we did it with a bit more class in NSW

We went to the tuck shop at "playlunch" or lunch . They were the home of the great Australian Vanilla slice... sometimes called "snot bags" by very nasty boys( I suspect you were one of those ) When those nasty boys grew up enough to turn into motor mechanics I am informed ( by my husband who graduated another level and taught those nasty little boys how to be motor mechanics) the Vanilla slice became an "Engine mounting"

Your mum would write your order on the outside of a brown paper bag and twist the money into a bit of paper and you would deposit your order into the basket as you came into the classroom . A girl with a swinging ponytail and a perky bow would collect the basket and take it down to the tuck shop.(She was invariably also the girl who got to ring the bell before playlunch and lunch ) a typical order would be for a devon & salad roll and a cream bun .The basket would reappear just before lunch filled withthe ordered lunches . Your change would be wrapped in the same twist of paper. I was considered a bit of a gourmet because I liked lettuce on my vegemite sandwich.

Tuck shop lunches were not an everyday thing ... Monday was a big day because most people were out of bread .Tuck shop ladies were generally soft and friendly ... but sometimes they turned into demons. They have been immortalised by having flabby upper arms named in their honour ( tuck shop arms )

The school food item that caused most trauma for our generation was school milk . ... delivered icy cold and apetising early in the morning and left in an open shed till playtime when it had become warm and sour . Our supplier took pity on us and also supplied flavoured drinking staws to make it swallowable.

the tuckshop in those good ol days .. also stocked a limited range of lollies ... notably .. musk sticks, choochoo bars, slaters and rosy apples .

So doggy .. have I taken you on a nostalgia trip????

These days school canteens have "healthy options" that include low fat pies and cheesenbacon rolls .It is interesting to note that the Chicko roll meets the healthy canteen guidelines for fat and salt .... only proves there is no actual food included . I've always maintained a chicko roll was a falec thing ...

I could go on for ever

our tuck shop/canteen was the cafeteria. It started off as a cafeteria but in the end it was easier to contain everyone outside rather than inside. So eventually we just didn't have a cafeteria. But it still sold the same stuff.

It was run by the pta I think.

I could go on for ever You almost did, philistine - still, I admire yer restraint.

Nutrax's comments are hilarious (and I do not mean this unkindly), not least A shop in a school? How did that work? It's a shop but not as ye know it, sweet Nutrax. And sweet, in Scotland, was the key word - because one mostly bought sweets and crisps and Irn Bru from it (US: candies and chips and Coke?)

Only one of the secondary schools I attended (and a 'secondary school' is not one for juvenile delinquents, sweet Nutrax - it follows primary education) had a tuck shop. It was in the Scottish countryside, so 'twas either a tuck shop or sweeties-starved pupils, not to mention impoverished dentists. It was run by the senior pupils - and I recall, with a certain fondness, that at the end of the term in which I managed it, it made a not insignificant loss.

I could go on.

P.S. In fact, I do - but only to quote this brilliant wee snippet: I was considered a bit of a gourmet because I liked lettuce on my vegemite sandwich.

My Derby, Kimberleys, tuck shop was just outside the school.

We also had dim sims.

Our school tuck shops served exotic local delicacies like curry noodles,prawn noodle soup,curry puffs,fried spicy hot Indian noodles,shaved ice "kachang" dessert,Magnolia ice cream,coconut toffee candy,all kinds of sweets,lollipops,chocolates,and candided//salty fruits and crispy crunchy prawn/fish crackers.

Our tuck shop in primary school was pretty straightforward- pies, sausage rolls, pizza roundas and vegemite sandwiches. On the other hand the one at my secondary school was great with fried rice, chicken wraps, pasta and spicy chicken wings that were to die for and you would try to sneak out of class early so you would be first in line as they would sell out in 5 minutes.

Actually this reminds me of when I was in maybe grade 4 and the tuck shop lady's son had a bit of a crush on me. I managed to score a fair few icy poles a week out of that situation! Pretty awesome when you're a kid.