Thousands more Victorian school children will be growing, cooking and eating their own food at school thanks to an expansion of the successful Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program.Education Minister Bronwyn Pike recently announced the Victorian Government would invest an additional $1.1 million in the program to boost the number of schools with kitchen gardens from 43 to 57. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program began in 2007 and the additional funding will provide schools with grants... ...Read more »

Australian primary schools have given a thumbs-up to McCain School Veggie Patches with a resounding response to a national callout to register for the initiative. More than 1,700 Australian primary schools have registered for the chance to earn resources for their vegetable gardens, including seeds, tools and gardening equipment.For Middle Kinglake Primary School in Victoria, the program’s gardening resources represent a way to expand the vegetable garden they are rebuilding after the devastation... ...Read more »

SABMiller, one of the world’s leading brewers, is providing an education for children of sugar cane workers in Honduras.Cerveceria Hondurena, SABMiller’s Honduran subsidiary, set up the ‘Azunosa’ school with the aim of trying to ensure that the sugarcane fields which supply its soft drinks operation are not worked in by under 18 year olds. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that sugar cane harvesting is hazardous and is not suitable for people under 18 years old.... ...Read more »

McCAIN Foods today announced the launch of McCAIN School Veggie Patches, a program to teach primary school children about the origin and benefits of vegetables to encourage them to make healthy food choices, by planting and growing vegetables in their own schoolyard. Award-winning chef and TV personality Pete Evans is excited to show his support for the McCAIN School Veggie Patches educational program, and urges schools to register and start collecting points to build their veggie patch. “As... ...Read more »

McDonald’s Australia is offering a free maths program to more than 1.4 million students nationwide in a move that has divided opinion. The world’s largest fast-food chain suggests that the program, which normally costs $40 per month but will now be offered free, is about helping the community rather than promoting their products. “There’s no reference to promoting anything, talking about food,” McDonald’s Australia Managing Director, Catriona Noble, claimed. “We... ...Read more »

The ARA Retail Institute is offering free training to industry newcomers and canvassing host employers to provide on-the-job training under the Federal Government’s Productivity Places scheme in a bid to attract more people to the retail industry. The Federal Government’s Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) has funded the ARA’s Retail Employment Pathways program in response to industry pleas for more skilled workers. Under the initiative, DEEWR’s... ...Read more »