St Helen Auckland Community Primary School
School Packed Lunch Policy
for packed lunches brought in from home
Introduction
To grow and stay healthy, children need to eat a nutritionally well balanced diet. Schools are an influential setting and can contribute significantly to improving the health and well-being of pupils.
Good nutrition in childhood can help to prevent a variety of health problems, both in the short term and later in life. There is increasing concern that many children are consuming too much fat, sugar and salt and too little fibre, fruit and vegetables.
Packed lunches can contribute to almost a third of a child’s weekly food intake, and therefore need to be balanced and nutritious.
Aim
To ensure that packed lunches (brought in from home) reflect the new standards for school meals introduced in September 2006 and updated January 2015.
Rationale
- Schools are required to positively promote the health and wellbeing of their pupils. Work around healthy eating is a high priority of the Every Child Matters agenda.
- The content of lunchboxes needs to reflect the requirement of schools to meet minimum food and nutrition standards for school meals.
- The contents of lunchboxes in some schools can be extremely unhealthy, recent audits of lunchboxes have shown that in the main they contain foods with high levels of fat, sugar and salt, and very few fruits and vegetables.
- To encourage healthy eating habits from an early age and improve the overall nutrition of pupils.
- The short term effects of unhealthy packed lunches and food intake can include poor growth, tooth decay, obesity, anaemia, constipation, poor concentration, and behavioural problems which may have an impact on a child’s learning.
- The longer term effects of a poor diet in childhood can be an increased risk of stroke, cancer, heart disease and diabetes in adulthood.
Objectives
- To improve the nutritional quality of packed lunches in schools and the eating habits of children at lunchtimes.
- To develop awareness in pupils, parents, staff and the wider community that the school takes a proactive approach to promoting healthy eating.
- To encourage healthy eating habits in childhood that can influence health and wellbeing in later life.
- To ensure that food brought into school (packed lunches) reflects and meets food standards for School Food (2015).
Implementation
This packed lunch policy fits within a wider context of promoting a whole school approach to food and healthy eating.
- Children’s packed lunches should be based on the “Eatwell Plate” model, which shows items from the 5 main food groups (Food Standards Agency 2016);
Bread, Rice, Potatoes, Pasta
2 or more portions for lunch
These starchy foods are a healthy source of energy.
Fruit and Vegetables
At least 1 portion of fruit and at least one portion of vegetables and salad for lunch
These foods provide vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Milk and dairy foods
1 portion for lunch
These foods provide calcium for healthy bones and teeth.
Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans
1 portion for lunch
These foods provide protein for growth.
Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar
It is important not to fill up on too many foods that are high in fat and/or sugar at the expense of more nutritious foods. Limiting high fat and sugar foods will help protect young people from becoming overweight as well as helping prevent tooth decay, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. This is why sweets, chocolate, crisps, cereal bars, fruit bars, toffee/salted popcorn, squash and fizzy drinks are no longer available in schools. Please support your school by not including these items in a packed lunch (see box below).
Drinks – any drinks provided in lunch boxes should only include plain water, milk (semi-skimmed), unsweetened fresh fruit juice, diluted fresh fruit juice, fruit or dairy based smoothies.
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Additional information with ideas and examples of foods that can be included in packed lunches is available from school or from the Schools Food Trust www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk
Waste and Disposal
The school will, within reason, send any uneaten packed lunch food items back home. The rationale for this is that parents can also monitor what their child has consumed during the day and then raise any concerns over their child’s food intake with the school.
Promotion of Healthy Packed Lunches
There will be ongoing promotion of the need to provide healthy packed lunches through:
Pupil, parent/carers newsletters
School brochure
Whole school Packed Lunch policy
Health weeks/healthy eating activities
Curriculum content
Parents evenings/parent consultations
School website and The Life Channel screens
Reward schemes
Professional development for school staff
Workshops for parents
School involvement in the National Healthy Schools Programme
‘Pack a Punch in Your Lunch’ guide to healthy packed lunches
Packed Lunch Containers
It is the responsibility of the parent/carer to provide an appropriate packed lunch container where food items can be stored securely and appropriately until the lunchtime period. Parents are advised to include an ice pack. Food products prepared and stored in ambient temperatures after a period of time can have increased levels of bacteria in them.
Storage of packed lunches
The school will provide storage area/facilities for packed lunch bags, in the most convenient and appropriate place possible. However, the school cannot provide cooled storage areas and therefore cannot take legal responsibility for foods prepared at home and then brought into school.
Dining Facilities for Pupils bringing Packed Lunch
The school will provide an appropriate area where pupils who choose to bring packed lunches can eat. This will be alongside those having a school dinner unless this causes unforeseen issues.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The school will carry out monitoring of packed lunch provision – where there may be concerns over a child’s food/nutrition intake and/or content of packed lunches, this can be dealt with timely and sensitively. We will discuss our concerns with parents/carers as issues arise.
OFSTED are required to report on how the school promotes the personal development and wellbeing of all pupils – this may include food provision including packed lunches brought into school.
The Local Authority will work with school to review packed lunch provision and will provide advice and support to members of the school community.
National Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP)
In order to achieve National Healthy Schools status, schools are required to:
- “ensure healthier food and drink options are available and promoted in breakfast clubs, at break and at lunchtimes – as outlined by the Food in Schools guidance”
- “monitor pupils’ menus and food choices to inform policy development and provision”
Schools that have achieved National Healthy Schools Status (NHSS) may be monitored as part of a national and local quality assurance process.
Policy Review
This policy will be reviewed as part of the school’s agreed policy review process. In addition, any major legislative or governmental changes regarding school food may lead to this policy being amended.
Ratified by Governing Body on (date)
Signed …………………………………….. (Headteacher or school representative)
Signed …………………………………….. Chair of Governors
Date: September 2021
Review date: September 2022
