Schools are an influential setting and can contribute significantly to improving the health and well-being of pupils. Good nutrition in childhood can help to prevent a variety of health problems, both in the short term and later in life. There is increasing concern that many children are consuming too much fat, sugar and salt and too little fibre, fruit and vegetables.
Packed lunches can contribute to almost a third of a child’s weekly food intake and therefore need to be balanced and nutritious.
Our Aim
To ensure that packed lunches (brought in from home) reflect the new standards for school meals.
Children’s packed lunches should include items from the 5 main food groups;
1) Bread, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta. These starchy foods are a healthy source of energy. Packed lunches should include 2 or more portions eg pasta salad, sandwich.
2) Fruit and Vegetables. These foods provide vitamins, minerals and fibre. Lunches should include at least 1 portion of fruit and 1 portion of vegetables / salad, or more e.g. carrot/cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes, a piece of fruit.
3) Milk and Dairy foods. These foods provide calcium for healthy bones and teeth. Include 1 portion at lunch e.g. yoghurt, fromage frais, milk.
4) Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans. These foods provide protein for growth. Packed lunches should include 1 portion of these foods e.g. boiled egg as filling in sandwich, mixed bean salad.
5) Drinks – any drinks provided in lunch boxes should only include either plain water, milk, unsweetened fresh fruit juice, diluted fresh fruit juice.
Please support us by not including these items in a packed lunch
- Fizzy Pop/Fruit shoots
- Sweets
- Chocolate bars
A choice of only one of the following is permitted per day:
- A cake bar
- Packet of crisps
- Biscuit
The school will, within reason, send any uneaten packed lunch food items back home. The rationale for this is that parents can also monitor what their child has consumed during the day and then raise any concerns over their child’s food intake with the school.
