Our Vice Chair of Governors (Sangita Chauhan) was in school last week to look at our lunchtime provision and was disappointed by the lack of healthy balance in many of the packed lunches being eaten.
Balance is everything – we are not saying don’t eat crisps or biscuits! However, many packed lunches contain no fruit or vegetables at all.
From Tuesday 21st March we will be monitoring packed lunches every day to ensure that the nutritional needs of pupils are being catered for.
According to NHS choices a balanced lunchbox should contain:
- Starchy foods like bread, rice, potatoes or pasta.
- Protein foods like meat, fish, eggs or beans.
- A dairy item, like cheese or yogurt.
- Vegetables or salad and a portion of fruit.
The Children’s Food Trust says that only around one in a hundred packed lunches in England meet children’s nutritional needs. If your child is having a packed lunch, are you providing a balanced and healthy option?