tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/school-dinners-6452/articlesSchool dinners – The Conversation2019-07-29T11:34:40Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1208112019-07-29T11:34:40Z2019-07-29T11:34:40ZWhy are school lunches still so unhealthy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285510/original/file-20190724-110154-1gn9a2b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Do you know what your child is eating at school?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are more than <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijpo.12185">91m school children</a>
worldwide now defined as living with obesity – and the UK is in the top 20 countries for obesity levels. In the UK, the obesity rate for children doubles <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-child-measurement-programme-ncmp-trends-in-child-bmi">during primary school</a> years – and then <a href="https://theconversation.com/physical-activity-programmes-in-schools-arent-working-heres-why-109684">increases again in secondary school</a>.</p>
<p>This is in part because teenagers in the UK <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/772434/NDNS_UK_Y1-9_report.pdf">consume poor quality diets</a>, low in nutrients and high in processed foods. Indeed, girls in England do not get essential nutrients required for <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/772434/NDNS_UK_Y1-9_report.pdf">reproductive and overall good health</a> (vitamin A, folate, iron). And young people are also generally low in at least five micro-nutrients needed for development, immunity, mood and energy levels. </p>
<p>Teenagers in the UK also consume the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/772434/NDNS_UK_Y1-9_report.pdf">highest amount of added sugars and sugary drinks</a> compared to all other age groups. Teenagers also consume the highest amount of breakfast cereal products (that are also known to be filled with sugar), and confectionery. And only <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/772434/NDNS_UK_Y1-9_report.pdf">4% of UK teens meet daily fibre recommendations</a>. This is concerning given that dietary fibre is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, <a href="https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2018/mar/high-fibre-diet-has-benefits-for-type-2-diabetes,-study-claims-96054636.html">type 2 diabetes</a> and cancer. Young people are also <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/772434/NDNS_UK_Y1-9_report.pdf">only eating around two and half portions</a>of their recommended five a day of fruit and vegetables. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action">Research</a> also shows that teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds have <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-child-measurement-programme-ncmp-trends-in-child-bmi">lower micro-nutrient and fibre intake</a> than their more well-off peers. And findings from the <a href="https://foodfoundation.org.uk/">Food Foundation</a> think-tank show that almost 4m children in the UK live in households that <a href="https://foodfoundation.org.uk/publications/">struggle to afford to buy</a> enough fruit, vegetables, fish and other healthy foods to meet the official nutrition guidelines.</p>
<p>These types of dietary patterns can not only have negative consequences on the physical health of teenagers, but they can also impact their mental health. Research shows malnourished teens are <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0024805">less likely to fulfil their potential</a> at school, and more likely to suffer with poor mental health.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-best-way-for-children-to-lose-weight-heres-what-the-research-says-79714">What's the best way for children to lose weight? Here's what the research says</a>
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<h2>Why the poor choices?</h2>
<p>But brain changes that occur with puberty coincide with the transition to secondary school and these changes can influence attitudes and behaviours in all areas – <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-34828-010">including healthy eating</a>. The desire to fit in is strong, and liking healthy food can be seen as “uncool” by teens. Young people also <a href="https://academic.oup.com/her/article/20/4/458/632655">place great importance</a> on social time within the school day. And many teenagers describe the school dining hall as an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0305764X.2019.1630367">intimidating place</a> with poor food choices and teachers roaming – making it somewhere they would rather avoid. There’s also often long queues and a lack of perceived privacy in school canteens – which can lead to teenagers skipping lunch and getting most of their energy intake at morning break or at the end of the school day from local food outlets.</p>
<p>There’s also the wider issue that school food policy has failed to sustain quality nutrition – particularly in secondary schools. <a href="http://www.akofoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2_0_fell-report-final.pdf">Researchers from the Jamie Oliver Foundation</a> were alarmed to find many schools are still serving high fat and sugary foods at break and lunch – including pasties, pizza, doughnuts, muffins and cookies, often in large portion sizes. This is despite Oliver campaigning tirelessly over the last decade to change the nation’s eating habits after <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464070/">Jamie’s School Dinners</a> aired in 2005 to reveal the terrible standards of school food in the UK. <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11821747/Jamie-Oliver-admits-school-dinners-campaign-failed-because-eating-well-is-a-middle-class-preserve.html">Oliver has since said</a> that his push to improve nutrition for children didn’t work because eating well is still seen as a “posh and middle-class” concern.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285511/original/file-20190724-110158-12p6itv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Processed foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt have become a mainstay of lunches in schools across the UK.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A lack of continuity between successive governments and poor consistency in the evaluation of school food standards may also be to blame. Indeed, the current <a href="https://www.schoolfoodplan.com">school food plan</a> that provides practical and specific guidance on the types of food and drinks schools should and shouldn’t offer – <a href="http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/SFP-governance-and-funding.pdf">has not been evaluated since 2013</a>. And while <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2">it’s a requirement for schools to follow this plan</a>, in reality there can be a great deal of difference in how schools feed their children.</p>
<h2>Time to act</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/mind-the-doughnut-emotional-eating-is-a-habit-that-can-start-in-childhood-58602">Research shows</a> that eating habits people pick up in their youth <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/28/1/10/1553731">tend to track into adulthood</a>, which makes the teenage years an important stage to start forming healthy habits. So rather than placing the full responsibility of food choice onto teens, more needs to be done to enable young people to make healthier choices. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285513/original/file-20190724-110170-kx5nt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">School lunches should be nutritious and delicious.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This can include consulting with pupils to engage them in making decisions about the dining room environment and better food education. Reducing choices and streamlining menus has also been shown to improve <a href="http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Nelson12/publication/265755030_First_annual_survey_of_take_up_of_school_meals_in_England/links/5630bd2d08ae1bdcebcf2383.pdf">healthier food choices</a>. Though to improve teenager health in a sustained way, wider issues <a href="https://theconversation.com/advertising-has-the-power-to-make-children-fat-and-this-needs-to-stop-58899">such as food advertising</a> and food development also need to be looked at. </p>
<p>But of course it <a href="https://theconversation.com/obesity-crisis-cant-be-solved-by-schools-major-new-study-91265">isn’t just all down to schools</a>, parents can also help massively by creating a home environment that supports healthy eating. Here, patience is a must and convenience is key – offer carrots or chopped fruit when they are hungry coming through the door after school. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-parents-and-pupils-are-finding-healthy-packed-lunches-hard-to-stomach-65419">be the example</a> – have fun trying new fruits or vegetables – and help kids to recognise that fuelling with nourishing foods impacts how we all feel, think, look and perform.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kelly Rose does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Obesity crisis: pizza, pastries, chips, donuts, cookies, hot dogs, and burgers – just your average school lunch.Kelly Rose, PhD Researcher in the School of Science, Engineering and Design, Teesside UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/654192016-09-14T15:43:45Z2016-09-14T15:43:45ZWhy parents and pupils are finding healthy packed lunches hard to stomach<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137723/original/image-20160914-4948-2o46l7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many parents are still feeding their children too much junk in their lunch boxes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Monkey Business Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite <a href="http://www.feedmebetter.com/">campaigns</a> by household-name chefs, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/06/kids-school-lunchboxes-junk-food-research-england">survey of primary school children’s packed lunches</a> in 2016 has revealed that they are still of poor quality and rarely meet all the food-based standards set for school meals. </p>
<p>Vegetables and salad in particular are largely absent from packed lunches while snack foods such as crisps and confectionery are common. Lunchboxes contain higher amounts of saturated fat, added sugars and salt and lower amounts of vitamins and minerals than recommended. These results are similar to the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20089755">original survey carried out in 2006</a>.</p>
<p>School meals, on the other hand, have been transformed in the past decade. In 2006, standards were introduced which stipulated that school meals should provide a portion of each of the following five foods – protein-rich food such as unprocessed meat or fish, low-fat carbohydrate food such as bread or potato (not fried), dairy food such as yogurt or cheese, fruit and vegetables. The standards also restricted three food types including sweetened drinks, savoury snacks and confectionery (this includes chocolate covered biscuits and cereal bars). The <a href="http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/">School Food Plan</a>, which came in subsequently in 2014, upheld these food-based standards.</p>
<p>It is therefore likely that the gap between the quality of school meals and packed lunches has widened. In 2006, we found that only 1.1% of the packed lunches met all the standards, including the five healthy foods and the three restricted food types. In 2016, our survey showed this had increased slightly to 1.6%. Despite numerous awareness campaigns on childhood obesity and excessive sugar consumption, children are still being provided with packed lunches with high levels of snack foods and too little fruit and particularly vegetables. </p>
<p>Less than a fifth (17%) of lunchboxes contain any vegetables or salad and the majority contain too many sweet and savoury snacks (52% and 60% respectively) and sweetened drinks (46%).</p>
<h2>Matter of taste</h2>
<p>While overall these results are depressingly similar to ten years ago, there have been, reassuringly, some moderate but important improvements, indicating that better quality lunches are possible. The percentage of children provided with a sweetened drink has decreased from 61% in 2006 to 46% in 2016. This indicates that good consistent advice and help from schools and the food industry, enable parents to make better choices for their child’s packed lunch; but we are still a long way from where we want to be.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137733/original/image-20160914-4972-1cops4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tough choices.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Anna Hoychuk</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Providing healthy foods requires commitment and perseverance and is more time consuming as it involves buying a range of fresh foods, chopping up fruits and vegetables and getting children to try new foods that they may not prefer initially. There will be resistance to changes by the child if their friends are eating more snack foods and less salad. Although there are various sources of ideas for parents keen to prepare the perfect lunch for their child, clearly it is not enough to bring about real change.</p>
<p>Action is also needed from schools and the food industry. Some schools currently have no policies, while others have ones that are too draconian for parents to stomach.</p>
<h2>Change of menu</h2>
<p>I suggest that the first step should be for primary schools to ban all sweetened drinks and just serve water at lunchtime. This will considerably reduce sugar intake at lunch – <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2015-09-24/primary-school-head-bans-sugary-drinks/">and many schools have already taken this step</a>. A second step would be to reduce – but not ban – foods high in saturated fats and limit each child to one snack food (crisps, chocolate biscuit or pastry) a day. </p>
<p>The best packed lunches recorded in this study included all the foods recommended in the School Food Plan and none of the restricted foods. For example, a chicken and salad sandwich, grapes, a yoghurt and water. Although the ultimate goal is to exclude all savoury and sweet snacks, we are so far from this goal that to completely ban snack foods is too much for many parents and children to support.</p>
<p>The food industry is also an important player when it comes to supporting families making healthier choices. Smaller portions of snack foods, such as crisps, would be helpful for younger children to prevent them filling up on these and not eating their sandwich and fruit. There also needs to be an increase in the availability of healthy snacks that can be used in children’s lunches that are higher in fibre and lower in added sugars.</p>
<p>In order to improve the quality of food brought into schools it is clear we need to involve parents, schools and the food industry. We also hope that the <a href="http://schoolfoodmatters.org/campaigns/all-party-parliamentary-group-school-food">All Party Parliamentary Group for School Food</a> will provide clear guidance for schools and parents. Maintaining a commitment from all these key stakeholders will result in the culture change needed for successful improvements in dietary behaviour. I believe this is possible and hope we see real progress in the next 10 years – and truly benefit children’s future health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65419/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charlotte E.L. Evans receives funding from Flora (Unilever) who commissioned this survey on children's packed lunches. </span></em></p>Children are still being sent to school with a lunch box full of junk food.Charlotte E.L. Evans, Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/338142014-11-07T11:04:49Z2014-11-07T11:04:49ZBrownbagging it not always the healthy choice for kids’ school lunches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63804/original/63qt25th-1415234760.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=915%2C0%2C3446%2C2909&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nutritious meal inside? Maybe, maybe not.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=25366735&src=lb-29877982">Lunchbox image via www.shutterstock.com.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ravenous students, busy parents, nutrition professionals and school officials all have their own ideas about what belongs on the school lunch table. Plenty of criticism centers on the unhealthiness of notorious items like corn dogs, nachos, and fried foods that many schools dish up. But <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2014.07.007">our research</a> shows that what gets packed in a lunchbox from home can be just as unhealthy as what’s served on a tray at the cafeteria.</p>
<h2>School lunches are improving</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/healthy-hunger-free-kids-act">2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act</a> issued updated nutrition standards for the US <a href="http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-nslp">National School Lunch Program</a> (NSLP). The revamped standards require schools to:</p>
<ul>
<li>increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free and low-fat milk</li>
<li>reduce the level of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat</li>
<li>meet the nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements </li>
</ul>
<p>Over 90% of schools reported that they <a href="http://www.fns.usda.gov/pressrelease/2014/009814">successfully met</a> the revamped standards for the 2013-2014 school year, up from <a href="http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/ahaecc-public/@wcm/@adv/documents/downloadable/ucm_463491.pdf">just 14%</a> in 2009-2010. But even if schools are serving beautifully balanced, healthy meals, it’s an exercise in futility if kids aren’t eating them. </p>
<p>Some families are unhappy with the menu and taste changes of school meals and are considering joining the <a href="http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/%7E/media/publications/PDFs/SNDAvol1.pdf">40%</a> of children who already bring a packed lunch from home everyday. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63807/original/kvvjnwwf-1415235747.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lunchtime in the schoolyard could leave something to be desired, nutritionally.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=138148454&src=lb-29877982">Kids image via www.shutterstock.com.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What’s in those lunchboxes</h2>
<p>When we took at look at what came to school in all those brown bags, we found that packed lunches – which of course aren’t required to meet any nutrition standards – are generally less healthy than lunches provided at school. </p>
<p>We rifled through 1,300 school-provided and parent-packed lunches of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children in three Virginia schools. We compared them for nutrients and also for food items present. Packed lunches provided more calories, carbohydrates, fat, saturated fat, sugar, vitamin C, and iron while providing less protein, sodium, fiber, vitamin A and calcium when compared to National School Lunch Program meals. Lunches from home also contained more desserts (61% vs 0%), snack items such as chips and crackers (57% vs 5%), and sugar-sweetened beverages (40% vs 0%), while providing fewer fruits (54% vs 67%), vegetables (17% vs 61%), and milk (20% vs 96%) when compared to school lunches. </p>
<p>Another <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212267214005516">recent study</a> found similar results. The researchers used digital photography to document the lunches and snacks of more than 600 Massachusetts third and fourth graders in 12 public schools. They compared packed lunches to National School Lunch Program standards and <a href="http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/child-and-adult-care-food-program">Child and Adult Food Care Program</a> (CAFCP) standards. They found that only 27% of the packed lunches met at least three of the five NSLP standards, and only 4% of snacks met at least two of the four CAFCP standards.</p>
<p>We’re now interested in determining what motivates parents to pack a lunch for their child and what barriers there may be to participating in the National School Lunch Program. Why don’t families choose the provided meals despite being low-cost and even free for a large proportion of children? Researchers and health professionals need to consider strategies which will help parents meet the challenges of food and taste preferences, convenience, time, cost and nutrition. Since 40% of children are bringing a packed lunch from home to school every day, it is an emerging issue that cannot be ignored. </p>
<h2>How to get kids eating healthier foods</h2>
<p>Schools can encourage students to participate in the National School Lunch Program by offering <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00548.x/full">farm-to-school and school gardening</a> options, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S149940460600296X">taste tests of menu items, and involvement of parents</a> and children in the development of new menu items. </p>
<p>Parents can make changes to improve the nutrition of their child’s packed lunch by setting small goals such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>include a fresh fruit and vegetable every day</li>
<li>send water or milk for drinking instead of a sugar-sweetened drink</li>
<li>replace dessert with a healthier item such as fruit</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=906&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=906&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=906&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1138&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1138&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63808/original/bmhg3fvd-1415235922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1138&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s so nutritious!</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic.mhtml?id=138148454&src=lb-29877982">Girl image via www.shutterstock.com.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Studies have shown that <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666304001448">involving children in the decision-making</a> around what to eat increases their likelihood to eat those foods. Parents can encourage their kids to eat healthy foods by involving them in packing decisions: giving children a choice about which fruits and vegetable to include, allowing them to select foods from the farmers market or grocery store, and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002822304017122">modeling</a> healthy eating at home.</p>
<p>Parents can also… be patient. It takes time for children to accept new foods – research shows up to <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/26/4/546/">15 times</a>! – but <a href="http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v57/n2/abs/1601541a.html">exposing children to healthy foods</a> is critical for acceptance. Be patient, offer healthy foods, and be content with small bites. They will be forming healthy habits that last a lifetime!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33814/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alisha Farris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Ravenous students, busy parents, nutrition professionals and school officials all have their own ideas about what belongs on the school lunch table. Plenty of criticism centers on the unhealthiness of…Alisha Farris, PhD Candidate in Behavioral & Community Nutrition, Virginia TechLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/161552013-07-22T05:37:42Z2013-07-22T05:37:42ZBanning packed lunches is a step too far<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/27555/original/xw49m6hj-1373990646.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C2264%2C1626&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Boxing clever - or not. Idea of banning packed school lunches goes to far.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">PA/Chris Radburn</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The government wants to improve children’s diets by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23270715">banning packed lunches</a> and barring children from leaving school at lunchtime to prevent them from buying unhealthy food. </p>
<p>School lunches are healthier, the government says - chef Jamie Oliver’s nine-year campaign <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-blogs/jamie-reacts-school-dinners-report/">played a good hand in this</a> - and they’ve earmarked £15m to subsidise school meals and offer breakfast clubs for those kids arriving hungry at school in the mornings.</p>
<p>Childhood obesity <a href="https://theconversation.com/time-to-face-hard-truths-when-it-comes-to-obese-children-15323">is an increasing problem</a> and is caused by a simple imbalance between energy in (food) and energy out (exercise and activity) and any attempt at prevention or cure needs to address this imbalance.</p>
<p>School lunches are one key part of this equation and if schools can offer low cost, healthy meals then all would be great.</p>
<h2>Energy in: ‘grab bags’ and vending machines</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=672&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=672&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=672&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=844&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=844&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/27560/original/fszvk6wb-1374001134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=844&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The government should be digging deeper into the food industry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/Katerha</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the government can’t leave it at this. The current recommendations have been drawn up by the founders of the food company Leon. Leon claim to be “naturally fast food”. But it is the wider food industry that the government needs to tackle. </p>
<p>Portion sizes <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/supersized-why-our-portion-sizes-are-ballooning-7852014.html">are getting bigger</a> with “grab bags” and double chocolate bars now the norm, snack foods with no nutritional content are everywhere, fizzy drinks are sold in vending machines at leisure centres and supermarkets place their unhealthy foods at eye level at the request of the manufacturers. </p>
<p>Foods labelled “healthy eating”, “low fat” or “no sugar” <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-162182/How-food-labels-mislead-shoppers-fat-content.html">can mask what they actually do contain</a> and fast food restaurants offer meal deals to encourage overeating. This is the power of the food industry and this is what should be addressed.</p>
<h2>Energy out: computers and TV</h2>
<p>And then there is the “energy out” side of the equation. Children spend more time than ever on computers or watching TV, not helped by <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2327328/Third-parents-wont-let-children-walk-school-fears-speeding-cars.html">parent’s fear of cars</a> and the sense that it is dangerous “out there”. </p>
<p>The lack of street lighting, pavements, cycle paths, playgrounds or leisure centres doesn’t help. Perhaps the government could also tackle town planning and local facilities in their plan for obesity.</p>
<p>So there is still a lot to do and if school lunches are to a part of it they must be healthy and cheap. But is banning and barring the way forward?</p>
<p>A government has two options if it is to challenge our obesogenic environment (one that’s full of things that make us fat). It can ban and bar individuals from being unhealthy. Or it can ban and bar those responsible for our environment. </p>
<p>I’m in favour of a nanny state that makes healthy eating more likely and being active the norm. But as a parent I find it difficult to deal with being banned from doing what I want to do. </p>
<p>Other parents who feel provide healthy packed lunches would probably feel the same. And some parental education for what is a healthy packed lunch could be helpful - something Jamie Oliver recognised as part of his campaign.</p>
<h2>Having choices</h2>
<p>A few years ago, some colleagues and I carried out <a href="http://www.academia.edu/937725/The_value_of_choice_the_development_of_a_new_measurement_tool">a study on patient choice</a>. People in our study felt that having choice was important and didn’t want this taken away. People were happy for the experts to “make” choices for them, <a href="http://www.academia.edu/937723/The_value_of_choice_a_qualitative_study">based on a number of options</a>.</p>
<p>But patients and parents are different beasts. The government can be a nanny state by limiting the choices that we have. But they can’t make our choices for us. I’m an advocate for more government intervention but this makes me flinch. They may be the experts at politics but they are certainly not the experts of our day-to-day lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/16155/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Ogden does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The government wants to improve children’s diets by banning packed lunches and barring children from leaving school at lunchtime to prevent them from buying unhealthy food. School lunches are healthier…Jane Ogden, Professor of Health Psychology, University of SurreyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.