KIDS’ LUNCHES FAILING TO NOURISH

Fewer than two in every 100 packed lunches eaten by children in English primary schools meet nutritional standards, according to a major survey by the University of Leeds. Although the amount of sugary food in lunchboxes declined over 10 years, it is still higher than recommended, and there has been a drop in essential vitamins and minerals with just one in five children having any vegetables or salad in their packed lunch. Many children did not have any dairy foods in their lunch, and meals did not meet the recommended standard for calcium. The most common sandwich filling in both 2006 and 2016 was ham, with plant-based fillings such as hummus or vegetable spreads making up less than one per cent of packed lunches. According to Nutrition Australia, a healthy lunchbox has four components:

• A main item, such as a sandwich/wrap/roll/pasta with vegetables, soup, frittata or sushi.

• A fruit or vegetable snack, such as whole fruit, cut-up veggie sticks or a small salad.

• A second snack based on a core food, such as yoghurt, crackers with cheese, plain popcorn, a wholemeal fruit muffin, a boiled egg or a can of tuna.

• A bottle of tap water.