Food and mood: How school canteens are contributing to poor mental health

School canteens’ insatiable appetite for junk food is contributing to poor mental health, along with obesity.

Felice Jacka, director of Deakin University’s Food and Mood Centre, told Ross and John new research linked the food in canteens to learning difficulties and underdeveloped brains.

“We’re in a situation now where unhealthy diet is the leading cause of early death across wealthier countries,” she said.

“We’re also in a situation where mental illness is the leading cause of disability across the world, so the fact that these two things are linked is really important.

“Canteens think they won’t make a profit if they don’t sell unhealthy food, which has been shown to be incorrect.”

“Surely schools are not created for the purpose of making money out of food?”
-Ross Stevenson

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