A new study has shown that crisps, sweets, and sugary drinks still dominate over fruit and veg and only 1% of primary schoolchildren's packed lunches are really healthy.
The Leeds-based team looked at the lunchboxes of 1,300 children who were aged between eight and nine. All of the children in the study, took a packed lunch to school on at least one day of the week and almost nine out of 10 ate a packed lunch every day. Only one in five packed lunches contained any vegetables or salad.
More than 25% of the children had a packed lunch containing sweets, savoury snacks, and sugary drinks - things banned under rules on healthy prepared meals for local authority schools in England, which came into force in 2006. These standards say school lunches must contain protein-rich foods such as chicken and low fat starchy foods like pasta, as well as vegetables, fruit and dairy products. Although half the children were provided with fruit, it was the least likely food in their boxes to be eaten.
Only 1.1% of the children's packed lunches met all the required nutritional standards for school meals, which include keeping the contents low in fat and salt and high in essential vitamins and nutrients.
Lead researcher Charlotte Evans, of Leeds University, said she wasn't surprised by the findings. "It reflects the typical diet of the whole population. Most adults would also have crisps or a chocolate bar and not enough fruit or veg in their lunchbox."
Judy Hargadon of The School Food Trust, an organisation set up to improve the nutrition of school food, said: "Now that nutrient-based standards are in place, parents can be sure that the average school lunch is offering the right mix of energy and 13 nutrients that children need - so we're encouraging more families to give them a try."
She said the trust had sample menus to help parents.
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