THE ONE is Tip Top Foodservice’s new bread range giving school canteens the first nutritionally complete, soft, white bread.

Regular menu planning is an ongoing duty for most canteen managers – thanks to seasonal changes, specials and menu additions and deletions.

A handy list of dates to remember in 2012, including suggestions for canteen events and theme days.

Like any business which serves food, the school canteen is subject to fluctuations in revenue throughout the year, caused by a variety of factors from staffing issues through to lower demand for food when some students are away on excursion or off at camp.

There’s no disputing the importance of breakfast, which has been widely recognised by dietitians and health professionals for decades as the most important meal of the day.

Upwey High School in the Dandenong ranges east of Melbourne, Victoria doesn’t have a school canteen – instead it has the Upwey High School Café managed by local café owner Cheryl Guenther. Cooks Barbara Stanton and Denise Sangster-Greenwood are making a great success of the operation which serves up fresh, healthy food made from locally sourced produce.

The 2012 NAFDA Food for Kids program is giving canteens the chance to win 1 of 15 $1000 grants for their school.

New in 2012, Parmalat’s ‘What’s Your Flavour?’ school reward program has been designed to reward canteens for purchasing a selected range of Parmalat products.