School dinners versus packed lunches
Some campaigners want to ban packed lunches from schools... but is a good one worse than a school meal?
The horsemeat scandal could lead to a drop in the number of schoolchildren eating school dinners, but will they eat more unhealthily as a result?
Dr Charlotte Evans of Leeds University certainly thinks so – she was one of the researchers involved in a study of school packed lunches in 2010. It found that only 1% of packed lunches met basic dietary standards.
School dinners in the spotlight again
School dinners, thanks mainly to the campaigning efforts of the likes of Jamie Oliver, have come a long way in recent years.
The irony is that a Government-commissioned report by restaurant chain Leon’s co-owners Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent into school dinners, delivered just before the horsemeat scandal spread to schools, actually called for packed lunches to be banned.
And then it was revealed that horse DNA had been found in school meals supplied by catering supplier Sodexo and, separately, school meals were suspended in Lancashire.
Despite Dimbleby and Vincent’s banning recommendation, they did acknowledge that many school dinners are still “a bit institutional – meat and two veg”. They suggested putting the onus on parents – by both paying out for school dinners and putting pressure on schools if the quality isn’t up to scratch – for improving the situation.
Making a perfect pack-up
However, with money already tight as inflation outstrips incomes, it could be argued that many parents can’t actually afford to pay for school dinners. Indeed, a healthy packed lunch with the right ingredients will probably cost less, given the average cost of a school meal seems to be around £2-£2.50 a day.
Charity the Children’s Food Trust's guidelines for what should be included in a healthy packed lunch include:
- two portions of fruit and vegetables;
- bread;
- oily fish;
- no crisps or confectionery;
- restricting salt and other condiments;
- drinking water and healthier drinks.
Fiona Faulkner, who is a campaigner of healthy eating for kids, offers some great suggestions for lunchbox treats in this article.
Parents need to take the lead
Personally, although this may sound harsh, I think the key to healthy eating at schools is not giving children the choice.
When I was at school those who were given money to buy a lunch each day, on a sort of pay-as-you-go basis, inevitably headed to the chip van. This was parked just far enough away from the school gates, but funnily enough nowhere near any business premises. I never saw a local resident buy anything from it either.
However, I think parents should have the choice as to whether they opt for a packed lunch or a school dinner. But if it is the former, it needs to be sensible and not just the sandwich/crisps/chocolate/token piece of fruit/drink combination.
Having a choice also potentially allows the option of packed lunches one week and a school dinner the next, or dinners during winter and pack-ups in the warmer (in theory) summer months.
And I agree with Henry Dimbleby that pressure should be put on schools if standards aren’t high. But I think forcing parents to pay for school dinners could cause both financial hardship for some and standards to slip, if there’s no competition and no scrutiny.
Besides, teachers have enough on their plates without policing children’s food as well.
What do you think? Do you think school dinners are better than packed lunches? Did you enjoy what you ate at school? Let us know in the Comments box below.
More on children and food
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Why crisps might be better for your kids than yoghurt
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