School workshops being organised to inform parents how to make packed lunches 'less unhealthy'

Lessons are being organised at schools to inform parents on how to make their children's packed lunched "less unhealthy". A study by University of Leeds revealed that lunches made at home "rarely meet school food standards" and were typically found to mostly contain unhealthy snacks.

The research also showed that about a half of lunchboxes included fruit while only a fifth included vegetables, resulting in just 1.6 per cent in the study being deemed nutritious enough. Sandwiches were found to generally be made with white bread and filled ham, though many others were also filled with jam or Marmite, The Times reports.

In 2015, mandatory rules were introduced for hot school dinners, but there hasn't been any similar rules regarding packed lunches.

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In the study, the packed lunches were measured against the standards that apply to cooked school lunches, which must include vegetables, protein and dairy, and limit sweet snacks and drinks to be deemed to nutritious enough.

More than 100 schools are expected to be enrolled onto a School Food Matters scheme over the next five years, which is said to offer a "menu of support" to boost children's diets, including workshops for parents on making good packed lunches.

Founder and chief executive of the School Food Matters, Stephanie Slater, said: "The Leeds study has shown that packed lunches rarely meet the school food standards and in our work in schools we regularly see lunchboxes filled with crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. We’re supporting schools to put together a packed lunch policy and workshops for parents so they know what to include in their child’s lunchbox."

She added