Healthy Packed Lunch Guidance

Health Education Partnership Ltd – www.healtheducationpartnership.com

Healthy Packed Lunch Guidance It is well documented that unbalanced packed lunches result in higher intakes of fat, salt and sugar and lower intakes of the healthy nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. As a result this dietary intake can have an adverse affect on learning, growth development and long-term health outcomes; which can affect education attainment and achievement. We have developed a Packed Lunch Guidance Policy to assist in promoting Healthy Packed Lunches to the whole school community; we hope you find this useful.

How to Use the Packed Lunch Guidance The following two pages outline the Packed Lunch Guidance. Your school may wish to amend this document to meet the needs of the school.

 On page one of the guidance it outlines the foods and drinks that are recommended as part of a balanced packed lunch.

 On page two of the guidance it outlines the foods and drinks that are not recommended. The last two boxes on this page gives space to state how you will monitor packed lunches and whether you will allow foods that are not recommended e.g. crisps and cakes on certain days of the week. Also included is this pack is

 Did You Know sheet? This highlights why crisps, chocolate spread and juice drinks are not recommended on a daily basis, foods often included in packed lunches.

 An information sheet providing examples of a healthy packed lunch.

For further advice and assistance: freephone 08000 488 566 or [email protected] Health Education Partnership Ltd – www.healtheducationpartnership.com

Consultation – Packed Lunch Guidance It is recommended that once the Packed Lunch Guidance has been drafted that this is distributed to the whole school community for consultation and feedback. You may wish to consult in the following ways:

 Ask the school council to review the suggested guidance and feedback any suggestions.

 Distribute to the school meal supervisors for their feedback.

 Discuss with parents whether they would find such guidance useful for them.

 Include the guidance in the newsletter and ask for feedback from parents/carers.

Distributing the Packed Lunch Guidance Once the guidance has been agreed then it will need to be distributed to parents and carers on a regular basis. You may wish to put this in your school newsletter, in your school prospectus and hand out to parents at new pupil intake evenings.

PACKED LUNCH GUIDANCE

Packed Lunch Guidance Recommendations – Foods Recommended

In every school packed lunch, based on the national standards for school meals and the Eatwell Plate, a healthy packed lunch should be made up of the following food groups. Fruit and vegetable food group At least:

 One portion of vegetables e.g. vegetable sticks such as carrots, peppers or cucumbers or lettuce.

 One portion of fruit e.g. fresh fruit such as bananas, apples or canned fruits in fruit juice or dried fruits such as raisins or apricots. Breads, rice, potatoes, pasta and Your child’s packed lunch should include at least one other starchy foods portion from this food group, for example:

 Sandwiches made with a variety of breads such as pita, bagels, wraps, chapatti, roti, and rolls (offer a mix of wholegrain, brown and white varieties).

 Salads made with pasta, rice, couscous, noodles or potatoes. Milk and dairy foods Choose at least one portion from this food group, for example:

 Low fat yoghurt, custard or fromage frais, cheese, semi skimmed milk.

 Soya products that have added calcium. Meat, fish, eggs, beans and Choose at least one portion from this food group, for other non dairy sources of example: protein  Meat, chicken, fish and eggs.

 Beans such as chickpeas, kidney, haricot or lentils. A healthy drink A healthy drink should be included; water, semi-skimmed milk, pure fruit juice or fruit juice made from concentrate, diluted fruit juice, drinks with less than 5% added sugars or artificial. *Juice drinks and flavoured waters are not recommended.

Packed Lunch Guidance Foods / Drinks Not Recommended on a Daily Basis

Foods / Drinks high in fat and or The following foods and drinks are not recommended as sugar part of a healthy packed lunch:

 Crisps, fried food (chicken & chips) or takeaways.

 Cereal bars, cakes, biscuits, muffins, and doughnuts and other foods containing fat and sugar.

 Juice drinks, sports drinks and flavoured waters.

 Confectionary such as chocolate bars, chocolate coated biscuits and sweets. The following high fat and or high sugar foods and drinks cannot be brought into school for health and safety reasons:

 Fizzy drinks and energy drinks.

 Chewing gum.

 School to add other foods /drinks

(Insert school name) will monitor the packed lunches in the following ways:

 Incentives will be given to the children with balanced packed lunches.

 Packed Lunches regularly containing food and drinks not recommended will be recorded and a slip will be sent home to parent’s outline which foods are not recommended.

 Foods which cannot be brought into school will be taken away and returned to your child at the end of the day.

(Insert school name) will allow the following foods / drinks high in fat and or sugar ______to be brought into school on the following day(s) (insert day).

Remember:

 Try to offer a variety of foods and drinks, this is important as it exposes your child to new tastes, flavours and offers a good mix of nutrients.

 If your child does not like the food or drink the first time, don’t despair as it can take up to 15 times before a child accepts new tastes.

 Keep lunch boxes in a cool place in hot weather.

An average packed lunch*contains; 22g Fat, 35g Sugar, 2.4g Salt

Maximum recommended amounts for children’s lunches are 20g total fat 15.5g sugars and 1.25g salt.

* Based on a chocolate spread sandwich, a 28g packet of crisps, a 200ml juice drink and an apple.

Fruit juice drinks and fruit squash, marketed for children’s lunchboxes, contain up to 8 teaspoons Eating 7 bags of (40g) of added sugar. crisps – 1 each day 100% pure fruit juice, of the week – has water or milk based drinks the same amount are much healthier of fat as drinking lunchbox options! one cup full of oil! A portion of chocolate spread contains more than 50% fat and one third of sugar, with high levels of saturated fats.

Two Weeks of Healthy Packed Lunches Week one Week Two

Monday Turkey baguette with tomato and Egg, cress and mayonnaise in brown lettuce, low-fat spread roll

Fruit cocktail in natural juice & cherry Canned peaches in juice & cucumber tomatoes batons Low-fat fruit yoghurt Plain popcorn, small packet (no added salt) Grapefruit juice (100% pure fruit juice or made from concentrate) Strawberry milk (less than 5% added sugars)

Tuesday Ham, salad and tomato in a granary Tuna and sweetcorn pasta salad roll Banana & cucumber sticks Grapes & Peppers Low fat fromage frais Cheese and crackers Currant bun Fruit bun e.g. tea cake Orange juice (100% pure fruit juice or Apple juice (100% pure fruit juice or made from concentrate) made from concentrate) Wednesday Tuna, sweet corn and mayonnaise Chicken couscous with mushrooms, sandwich peppers and onion Kiwi fruit & cherry tomatoes Pineapple pieces & carrot sticks Rice pudding Banana flavoured milk (less than 5% added sugars) Water Thursday English muffin toasted, with reduced- Bagel with salad, canned salmon and fat hard cheese, tomato and ham cream cheese slices Apple & carrot batons Grapes & pepper sticks Orange juice (100% pure fruit juice or Orange juice (100% pure fruit juice or made from concentrate) made from concentrate) Pot of low fat custard Malt loaf Friday Potato salad with chicken pieces Cheese and salad wrap Ready-to-eat apricots & carrot sticks Satsuma & Cherry tomatoes Fruit bun Slice of malt load Milk, semi-skimmed Yoghurt drink

For more information about healthy packed lunches: http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/schools/projects/packed-lunches

For further advice and assistance: freephone 08000 488 566 or [email protected]