Healthy canteen menus forced on to NSW schools to fight obesity are being openly snubbed as students order in pizza, sell bootlegged Coke and leave school grounds to eat at fast-food outlets.

A Daily Telegraph investigation has revealed students are resisting the low fat menus and private canteen operators are battling to survive with higher labour and ingredient costs.

Pizza, Chinese takeaway and other fast--food deliveries to school playgrounds are becoming commonplace as students tire of salads, wraps and low-fat pies and diet soft drinks to order in lunch on their own mobile phones.

Government and most private schools began phasing in the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy in 2003 following a childhood obesity summit. Last year alone more than $600,000 was spent implementing and promoting the scheme to convince schools to speed up compliance.

Under the dietary guidelines, "red" foods such as salty snacks and fatty foods are limited to two days per school term. Canteens are supposed to fill the menu with "green" foods such as wraps. "Amber" foods like low-fat pies should be used sparingly.

Daily Telegraph, 10/4/07, p1