Workshops are being organised for parents at schools to show them how to make packed lunches for their children. It comes after a study found that homemade dinners "rarely meet school food standards" and that they were mostly filled with unhealthy snacks.
Researchers at the University of Leeds discovered that a fifth of lunchboxes contained a vegetable, and about half some fruit. Only 1.6 per cent were deemed to be nutritious enough.
Sandwiches were generally made with white bread and often contained jam and Marmite, while ham was the most popular filling, The Times reports. Cooked school lunches need to meet a set of standards relating to how many vegetables they include and whether they contain protein and dairy, alongside restrictions on sugary snacks and drinks.
Mandatory rules on hot school dinners were introduced in 2015. But there is no similar code around packed lunches.
Over the next five years more than 100 schools will be enrolled on a scheme led by School Food Matters. This will offer a "menu of support" to boost children's diets, including workshops for parents on making good packed lunches.
Stephanie Slater, founder and chief executive of the School Food Matters, said: "The Leeds study has shown that packed lunches rarely meet the school food standards and in our work in schools we regularly see lunchboxes filled with crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. We’re supporting schools to put together a packed lunch policy and workshops for parents so they know what to include in their child’s lunchbox."
She said that having a clear policy in place meant school staff are not forced to effectively become 'packed lunch police' which she said "creates tensions" between schools and families. "But the very best way to ensure that children get the variety and the nutrition they need to thrive is to encourage them to eat a hot school meal," said Ms Slater.
Professor Jason Halford of the University of Leeds, president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: "Promoting more fruit and veg intake at school is difficult if this is not the diet at home. Helping families to pack more healthy lunches is obviously something that should be supported but we need to understand the barriers families face doing this." The study was highlighted in a World Health Organisation report on obesity and published in the journal BMJ Open. It has monitored packed lunches since 2006.
