Canteen takes up online spy technology

NEW canteens are allowing parents to log in and spy on their children's school lunches online.
 The swipe card technology also allows parents to block their kids from buying junk food.
At Kardinia International College in Geelong, Victoria, students can only buy items at the canteen with an electronic card.

Principal John Goodfellow said students could load the card using a machine at school or parents could load it from the internet.
"They go up and point the card and what comes up on the screen is their photo and then the serving staff know if there are any restrictions on what they eat," he said.
"So parents can say they're not allowed to have this or not allowed to have that. If they order a pie and they're not allowed a pie, the transaction will be refused.

"They can actually look up on the web and see what they bought for lunch."
Mr Goodfellow said the school planned to introduce prize systems for students who bought the most healthy lunches.
Nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton said the system was beneficial because it meant parents could have control over what their kids bought.
"The downside is that it takes away from kids the opportunity to set their own limits," she said.
"They need to be able to monitor their own food habits, but the best way for them to do that is for them to develop good habits early so it is good in that sense."

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/weird-true-freaky/canteen-takes-up-spy-tech/story-e6frflri-1226009162435#ixzz1Ewm3oY8T