One school even has an arrangement with one of the city’s cafes where student lunches are made off site but with regional produce grown in the central west. 

Orange Anglican Grammar School principal Len Elliott said the trial program with the Agrestic Grocer had been running for four weeks and every Thursday about 50 children opt to have their lunches cooked by the cafe. 

“It’s about promoting healthy eating and promoting local foods,” Mr Elliott said.

The school is too small for its own canteen but it recently installed a kitchen garden with a view to eventually having the Agrestic Grocer use produce grown by the school in the school lunches. 

In the last four weeks the cafe has made wraps with various fillings for the students. 

At Kinross Wolaroi School students can order sushi, homemade pasta, soup and caesar salad. 

Communications manager Vanessa Hannan said Kinross Wolaroi still served items such as pies and sausage rolls but her daughter’s favourite option was a sushi roll. 

“There’s a whole lot on offer including gluten-free options,” she said. 

Fairfax Media reported that some public schools were serving foods on the NSW Department of Education and Communities banned foods list, such as sugary soft drinks.

But Ms Hannan said Kinross’s approach was about providing a variety of healthy options rather than banning certain foods. 

James Sheahan Catholic High School students can choose shepherd’s pie, chicken wraps, salmon sandwiches and a variety of salads as healthier options. 

Principal Mark Pauschmann said the school had a healthy food policy whereby foods in the “red” category, such as deep-fried foods, were only served on special occasions such as Sheahan Day. 

A Department of Education and Communities spokesperson said Orange  public schools no longer sold soft drinks in school canteens.

nicole.kuter@fairfaxmedia.com.au