Study shows that packed lunches are not meeting the required nutritional guidelines of school lunches
In recent years, school lunches have been criticised for their low nutritional value and high sugar content, with swift changes to school canteens across the country in order to meet healthy eating guidelines. However it has been found that children who bring a packed lunch into school are still faced with poor nutritional foods such as biscuits, crisp, chocolate and sugar drinks.
A survey conducted by Kantar Worldpanel found the top 20 most popular lunchbox items; with the top five being bread, margarine, cooked meat, fruit and cheese. However other items included biscuits falling at number 9, crisps at number 12 and fruit squash coming in 6th. The study also showed that 18 per cent of children’s packed lunches contained a ‘one-shot’ fruit drink. These are very high in sugar and give a child their entire recommended daily intake of sugars in one go.
The results of the survey have caused a stir, with the charity calling for schools to look at their policies around bringing in food from home. Settings should be working with parents to support at school and at home, ensuring a consistent approach to healthy eating. It is often difficult in today’s society for families to steer clear of the cheap sugary snacks and only buy nutritional meals, due to the financial strain of the country. Many families, working and non working, are living below the poverty line with only a small budget to buy food.
The childhood obesity strategy has once again been pushed back, now aiming for the Autumn. However once the strategy is in place, more can be done to educate children and parents on the importance of a balanced diet and support them in creating packed lunches with the best nutritional value to aid children’s health, development and well being.