Quebec students will no longer be able to get burgers, french fries, chips and pop at school starting in the new year, Premier Jean Charest announced Friday.

Charest chose a Montreal high school to unveil the province's new policy on junk food, which includes the elimination of fatty and sugar-laden menu items at cafeterias, and restrictions on vending machines.

Schools need to help in the fight against what Charest calls an obesity problem among youth, which he said affects their learning.

"Kids who eat better, who are well-fed, with a balanced diet, have more chances of having a healthy lifestyle, of being able to concentrate and to function to the maximum of their capacity," he said to reporters gathered at the Georges-Vanier High School.

School boards will be given resources to develop healthier menus in their cafeterias, which will include more locally-grown foods, Charest explained in French.

"We also want to encourage buying Quebec products, Quebec vegetables. This can have a great impact on the local economy."

About 50 of the province's 69 school boards have already made the jump to healthier foods, including Georges-Vanier, where the cafeteria doesn't serve burgers or french fries, but lasagne, salads and baked fish.

The change hasn't gone unnoticed, said Grade 10 student Sabrina Uwera, who said she can tell by looking who is now eating at the cafeteria every day and who still goes out for fast food at lunch.

The fast-fooders "are not healthy at all," she said. "You can see it."

Quebec will give school boards $11 million in addition to a $5 million fund already in place to develop healthier cafeteria menus.

"If we want more fruit, salad and vegetables, we'll probably need more fridges," said Education Minister Michelle Courchesne.

The junk food policy won't become a law and is non-binding, but most school boards will appreciate the advantages and the comparative cost, Charest said.

"In fact, we do have examples, where this change has been implemented, where it costs less. Kids are better fed, they eat more at the cafeteria, and the operator makes a better profit," he said.

"This isn't an issue of cost. It's an issue of lifestyle change."

It's not clear how the policy will affect current food services contracts.

With files from the Canadian Press