By Elizabeth Beaumont
TIC Food Technology

Information for coaches and managers

Overnight school camps, tournaments and trips are an opportunity to model the policies and guidelines reflected in the school mission statement and link to the Nutrition and Activity guidelines for New Zealanders at specific age ranges. Before starting to plan food for an off-site event, you will need to have an idea of:

• Environment – kitchen size, equipment available, seating, utensils and crockery
• Access to water which is safe to drink – this may have to be purchased and brought in
• Any students/adult allergies, intolerances, special diets and food preferences – a short survey is good for this. You will also need to assign a staff member to be responsible for these students,as well as having a plan for how their food preparation and storage will be managed. Where severe allergies are involved a plan for storage and access to medication and emergency contacts must be provided and discussed with all adults in contact with
• The intensity and length of activities students will be involved in to determine energy needs and appropriate replacement foods. The types of activities, such as on the water, tramping, swimming, cycling, kayaking
• Budget available for food per student
• Time available to prepare meals before and after activities, are there onsite providers?
• Numbers of adults and students
• Expectation of student involvement in preparation, serving, cleaning up and how this is monitored
• Skill level in food preparation of adults attending event