A school packed lunch should:

Be based on starchy foods

• This can include rice, pasta, bread, couscous, wraps, pitta, potatoes and chapatti and where possible try to choose wholegrain varieties like wholemeal bread and leave skins on potatoes.

Include plenty of fruit and vegetables

• Include 1-2 portions in your child’s lunch box and try to vary these throughout the week.
• You could add sliced vegetables into a pasta dish or sandwich.
• Supermarkets often have packs of chopped fresh fruits or individual packs of dried fruits. Keep some of these in the cupboard for those days when you don’t have much time to prepare. 

Include a portion of beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat, a dairy food and/or a non-dairy source of protein

• Use beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other sources of protein as sandwich fillings or in a pasta or rice salad.
• If you’re not including a dairy food in the main lunch item (for example in a salad or sandwich), add in a yogurt or some cheese such as a cheddar stick or cheese string to the lunch box.
• If you’re including a dairy alternative, such as a soya yogurt or milk, choose varieties which are unsweetened and fortified with calcium.

Include a drink

• Healthy options include water, semi-skimmed or 1% milk
• You could also give your child fruit juice or a smoothie – but remember, fruit juice and smoothies should be limited to a combined total of 150ml a day. You could always dilute fruit juice with still or sparkling water.