Less than a fifth of packed lunches contain vegetables, research suggests

Less than a fifth of primary school packed lunches contain any vegetables or salad, according to new research from the University of Leeds.

The research, commissioned by Flora, found that only 17 per cent of children’s packed lunches contained vegetables and 52 per cent contained too many sweet snacks.

Only 1.6 per cent were found to meet the the nutritional standards set for their classmates eating in the school canteen, with only 17 per cent meeting the standards for vitamin A, 26 per cent meeting the standard for iron and only 16 per cent for zinc.

Lead researcher Dr Charlotte Evans, a nutritional epidemiologist in the University's School of Food and Nutrition, said: “I hope the results of the study are an eye-opener, highlighting that more stringent policies need to be introduced if we want to see real change in the nutritional value of children’s packed lunches.

“New policies for schools, food manufacturers and retailers are needed, which will require strong support from government and stakeholders if progress is to be made.”

Sharon Hodgson MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for School Food, said: “The research highlights the need for more action to be taken on food put in children’s packed lunches, something which the School Food APPG has recently called for.

“Despite positive moves with regards to the food provided as part of a school meal, food brought in by children in their packed lunches is lagging behind. Therefore we need more action to be taken if we want to see positive changes occur.”