Mother to hunger strike for 46 days for healthier food in childcare centres
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Ruby O’Rourke will deprive herself of food in a hunger strike calling for stronger regulations that ensure Australian children in childcare receive quality food.
She’s promised to go 46 days without food. It’s a decision Ms O’Rourke knows is drastic but believes she has been left with no other choice.
“I want the government to see what malnutrition looks like,” she told SBS News.
Ms O’Rourke is the founder of Healthy Australia, a not-for-profit advocating for the health and welfare of families nationally.
Speaking to SBS News, she talks with determination in her voice well aware of the challenge that lie ahead.
Ruby wants to draw attention to the ‘malnutrition’ of Australian children in childcare – a problem she believes is not being adequately addressed.
A collaboration between Healthy Australia and the University of Newcastle found that only five per cent of Australian childcare centres were meeting Australian dietary standards last year.
“If the government is not going to feed children properly – I’m not going to feed myself properly,” Ms O’Rourke told SBS News.
“When the government decides they are going to put proper regulations into children’s services and health and welfare – then I will be feeding myself.”
She claims the government is failing to fully harness a free-online menu food planning program aimed at early childhood education services in Australia.
FeedAustralia is a computer-based program designed to allow childcare centres to have their menus assessed alongside Australian nutritional standards.
‘It’s not our problem’
The program is backed by the Federal government’s Department of Health and run in collaboration with Healthy Australia.
But Ms O’Rourke believes the program is not being prioritised by the Department of Education.
“You’ve got the Department of Education saying it’s not our problem, we’re happy with our standards being met – we’re not going to implement this.”
Ms O’Rourke said the program must be mandated in all childcare centres to ensure nutritional outcomes for Australian children.
“The Department of Education is refusing to implement something that has been mandated by the Department of Health,” she said.
“Why wouldn’t a parent want to know what their children are being fed in childcare.”
More than two-thirds of a child’s daily nutritional intake takes place at childcare, according to Healthy Australia.
FeedAustralia’s website states the program was made available to early childhood education in 2017. It has been adopted by thousands of childcare centres since then, according to Healthy Australia.
It will also be made available to Australian families in 2019.
There are more than 1.4 million Australian children who access childcare services, according to Healthy Australia.
Ms O’Rourke fears a growing number are at risk of going without their nutritional needs being met if food provided by childcare services is not properly scrutinised.
“We have a very big malnutrition problem in this country,” she said.
“In this context I’m talking about the quality of food.”
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics show around one in four children in Australia are overweight or obese.
Ms O’Rourke believes the system is currently failing Australian children.
“There is no regulation around the quality of food that is being provided for children except it says the service will ensure the food is nutritious.”
“All those children in childcare have no voice and they have no choice in what they are being fed.”
The Department of Health and Education have been contacted for comment.
Article source: http://watoday.com.au/world/jailed-china-critic-and-nobel-winner-liu-xiaobo-dies-20170713-gxaxlp.html
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