Lunch box advice for busy parents

Despite this, more than a third (36%) say they sometimes find leftovers in their child's lunch box, with 28% saying their child leaves fresh fruit, 26% leaving the sandwich, 15% the yoghurt, 13% the salad or the vegetables and 12% leaving the crisps. The survey, carried out by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) in association with raisingkids.co.uk, looks at how parents plan what to include when making a healthy packed lunch for their children. The results show that parents have to consider many factors, and are faced with information from a number of sources when deciding what to include. The survey reveals that 97% of parents agree they should take the main responsibility for the content of their child's lunch box to ensure it is as healthy as possible. More than six out of ten (61%) say they prepare a mix of the foods they have available when packing the lunch. Four out of ten (42%) go for a variety of foods across the week while a similar number only include foods they know their child will eat. More than a quarter (27%) say they get ideas from the internet when planning the content of their child's lunch box. However, about one in five (23%) parents feel confused about what their child should be eating in school to ensure they are eating as healthily as possible, and almost three quarters (73%) say they would find it useful to have a 'one-stop-shop', such as a website, for information on how to build a balanced packed school lunch. To help busy parents out, and to coincide with the start of the new school year, FDF has revamped its healthylunchbox.co.uk website to provide even more useful information for parents and teachers about children's school lunch boxes, including top ten lunch box tips; downloadable factfiles on food hygiene tips, snacks and drinks, Guideline Daily Amounts, and keeping teeth healthy. There is also a lunch planner, which offers a range of quick and tasty lunch box suggestions to try out. Dr Pat Spungin, founder of raisingkids.co.uk said: "Parents are faced with huge amounts of information about food in schools, so it's hardly surprising some of them are confused as to what they should be doing when it comes to the content of their child's lunch box. It's great that FDF is providing this resource for busy parents, who can use it as a 'one-stop-shop' when deciding how to put together the healthiest packed lunch for their kids." Julian Hunt, FDF Director of Communications, said: "Children need a healthy balanced diet with a good variety of foods to ensure that all their requirements for growth and development are met. The food and drink manufacturing industry believes that choice is a key element for parents when deciding how best to provide their children with the nutrients required for a healthy lifestyle. As the survey shows, there is a real need for pragmatic information on school lunch boxes by parents. Our website brings together information from a range of key sources, including affordable menu tips and practical advice from a number of experts."