Chocolate bars, potato chips, candies, sweet cakes and pies: Sounds like a good school lunch, right? Not.

Almost everyone gets the urge for something sweet once in a while but junk food does not make for a healthy lunch nor does it help students be productive or alert.

Hence the formulation of the food and nutrition policy approved by the Department of Education and put forth by the Health for Success committee -- which consists of a school principal, teacher, parents, Nutrition Services staff, school nurse, school dental nurse, hospital dietitians, the education officer for health and science.

Many primary schools already have a "healthful'' food and nutrition policy in place, so this policy will only be formalising what they already practise.

In the middle school food survey 92 percent of parents felt it was very important that their child eat healthy meals.

Therefore, this policy is aimed at encouraging all Government schools -- private schools can make their own decision on whether to endorse the policy for their schools -- to "permit only nutritious foods to be sold on the school premises whether from the tuck shop, vending machine, food truck, outside caterer or any other means of sale or distribution''.

And the objective of the policy is to create a healthful school environment that supports and reinforces the health education and physical education curricula.

One of the organisers of the policy, Betsy Baillie of Nutrition Services, said the policy came about because of the restructuring of the school system and the availability of foods in the middle schools -- where the sale of junk foods in the past have been prevalent.

"In the new middle school curriculum, health and physical education are important components and everyone in the committee felt that if we are teaching healthy things in the classroom we needed to support and reinforce what is being taught.

"If you are saying things like chips and sodas are foods that we should eat on an occasional basis because they don't have health benefits, then to support this we should not be selling these foods at the expense of our young people's health and well being,'' Mrs. Baillie said.

She added: "We need to ensure that the children have healthy foods to match the message that they are hearing about healthy foods at school. And we need to increase the availability.'' Mrs. Baillie said it's not that people shouldn't eat those foods; it's a question of how often and how much they are eaten.

"With the health problems young people are experiencing today -- overweight, obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and blood cholesterol -- it is our role to try and protect them,'' she said.

"The big issue is that it all comes down to the message that kids hear and we need to send them a clear consistent message.

"There will probably be some resistance to the policy because people don't like being told what to put in their children's lunch but parents and all caregivers need to realise that it is our responsibility to work together to protect the health of our young people.

"This policy is out there to also help the parents who have been or want to send healthy lunches, it will help support them.'' Here are some ideas of what parents can use as substitutes for junk food: Instead of chocolate, candy, fruit roll-ups or snacks choose "lite'' puddings, yogurt, fresh fruit or canned in own juice, or dried fruit; Instead of sweet cakes, pies and pastries, choose angel food cake, vegetable or fruit breads, muffins, bagels, breadsticks, and Johnny bread; Instead of chocolate chip cookies, sweet cookies and cup cakes choose whole grain crackers, graham crackers, ginger snaps, vanilla wafers, fruit bars, or muffins; Instead of chips, corn curls, corn chips and fries choose air popped popcorn, pretzels, and dry unsweeten cereal.

Instead of sweetened drink boxes, sodas, ice teas, fruit drinks or lucozade choose water, plain sparkling waters, fruit juice, milk, or sugar free drinks.

How to make a healthy student: Breakfast; Healthy lunch; Regular exercise -- five times a week; Limited TV viewing, one to two hours a day: Adequate sleep -- ten to 12 hours for primary students, nine to ten for middle and senior students; and eating family meals.