In this article

Nutrition and children School meals

Ideas for packed lunches Snack ideas

Key points

School dinners in England are subject to strict nutritional guidelines, and other rules cover school tuck shops and vending machines. Primary schools now have to stipulate the vitamin content of school meals, and secondary schools need to do so from 2009.

The Scottish and Welsh governments are also developing legislation to tighten up on school dinner food choices.

Encourage your child to:

• always choose foods rich in protein, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese or beans, but encourage them not to eat pies, pasties, sausages or burgers every day as these are very high in fat
• choose at least one starchy food - bread, jacket potatoes, boiled potatoes, rice or pasta
• eat at least one portion of vegetables – raw, cooked alone, or as part of a salad
• eat a piece of fruit - fresh, dried or juiced

It's easy to slip into offering your child the same food every day in a packed lunch. There are many types of bread that can add variety to sandwiches. Try pitta bread, chapattis, crusty rolls, muffins or bagels with one of these healthy fillings:

• Chicken with a low-fat dressing and salad
• Grated cheese and pickle
• Bacon, lettuce and tomato
• Tuna and tomato
• Salmon and cucumber
• Hummus and red pepper

Other suitable items include:

• Fruit, both fresh or dried
• Cheese cubes
• Pot of yoghurt or a yoghurt drink
• Cherry tomatoes or sticks of vegetables
• Small pot of potato, pasta or rice salad
• Hard-boiled egg
• Fruit juice or soup in a flask

Some children need a snack between meals, often around the time they arrive home from school. Encourage healthier options rather than filling up on crisps, savoury items or sweets. Try offering the following:

• Crunchy muesli and yoghurt
• Toasted crumpet or teacake
• Fresh fruit
• Low-fat yoghurt or fromage frais
• Nuts, seeds or dried fruit
• Small carton of milk
• Fruit smoothies
• Cheese and crackers or oatcakes
• Slice of fruit loaf or malt loaf

• Base food for children around three regular meals with any additional snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon or before bed. Discourage continuous grazing throughout the day.
• Encourage a variety of foods from the main food groups.
• Encourage your child to have healthy nutritious snacks rather than lots of fatty and sugary foods and drinks.
• School meals and packed lunches are an important contribution to the day's nutritional intake. Encourage your child to make the right choices at school, or provide a healthy packed lunch as an alternative.
• Encourage your child to be active. Coupled with a healthy diet, this will provide the foundations to good health and weight control in the short term and in the future.

This article was last medically reviewed by the MRC Human Nutrition Research in July 2008.
First published in March 2001.