Back to school guide Making healthier school lunchboxes

Children need a healthy, balanced diet, which is rich in fruit, vegetables and starchy foods. If your child has school dinners, talk to them about the types of food they need to eat to stay healthy and encourage them to vary their meals.

Packed lunches give you more control over your child’s diet, but it can be a challenge to keep them interesting and healthy.

Making school packed lunches

Children should get a third of their daily nutrients at lunchtime

It’s worth remembering that a child at school should have about a third of their daily nutrient requirements at lunchtime.

As a guide, the Food Standards Agency says a healthy packed lunch should contain a mix of foods from the Eatwell plate. This shows how much of what you eat should come from each food group, and covers everything you and your child eat during the day, including snacks.

Use these guidelines to help you pack a healthy school lunchbox:

• Around a third of the meal should be made up of fruit and vegetables.
• Another third should be starchy foods such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta - choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can.
• Some milk and dairy foods should be included, and should make up about 15% of the meal.
• Some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein are part of a balanced meal. These should make up around 12% of a meal.
• Foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar should be included only an occasional treat.

Our example school lunchbox menus will help you get started packing more nutritious and tasty lunchboxes.

School lunch menus for 5-8 year olds

Include a variety of fruit and veg to stop your child getting bored

Menu 1

Houmous, red pepper and grated carrot pitta
Reduced-fat cheese triangle
Low-fat fruit yoghurt
Box of raisins
Apple juice

Menu 2

Edam, ham and lettuce wrap
Celery sticks
Mini blueberry muffin
Nectarine
Semi-skimmed milk drink

School lunch menus for 9-12 year olds

Menu 1

Tortilla with chicken, tomato, onions and peppers
Plain popcorn (small packet)
Cucumber and carrot sticks
Grapes
Yoghurt drink

Menu 2

Pasta salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, pepper and tuna (canned in spring water)
Reduced-fat cheese triangle
Low fat muesli yoghurt
Mango slices
Fresh orange juice

School lunch menus for 13-16 year olds

Choose wholemeal bread and wraps for lunchtime snacks

Menu 1

Pastrami and Edam cheese wholemeal wrap with lettuce and tomato
Pepper slices
Slice of carrot cake
Apple
Bottle of water

Menu 2

Slice of homemade ham, mozzarella and tomato pizza
Cucumber sticks
Grapes
Fresh fruit salad with low-fat fromage frais
Orange juice

Check out the Food Standards Agency’s Eatwell website for healthy eating tips, including weekly school lunchbox menus to try.

Tips for preparing lunchboxes

Choose 100% fruit juice drinks rather than those from concentrate

Keep your child’s school lunch cool by including a frozen juice carton. By lunchtime the juice will have melted into a refreshing drink and the rest of the lunchbox will be cool and fresh.

Keep a variety of different types of bread, wraps and pittas in the freezer to be taken out as you need them. This will ensure day-to-day variety without bread and wrap products going off.

You can sneak extra vegetables into your child’s diet in sandwiches. Lettuce, cucumber, tomato, green pepper, roasted peppers or sweet onion make great sandwich fillings.

Choose 100% fruit juice drinks rather than those labelled ‘from concentrate’. Pure fruit juice counts as one of your child’s recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.

Vary the fruit and veg you add to school lunchboxes to help your child eat a balanced diet and discover favourites. Serve fruit in different ways and combinations – such as mixed slices, whole fruits, cubes and vegetable sticks – to make lunches more enjoyable.

Choose lower-fat sandwich fillings such as lean meats like chicken or turkey, fish (such as tuna or salmon), cottage cheese, Edam and mozzarella. Avoid mayonnaise and try to use less butter, or even better, switch to low fat spread.

The Which? Kids' food campaign is calling for an end to irresponsible marketing of unhealthy food to children. To find out more in our section.