Packed lunches should include:
- At least one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables every day.
- Meat, fish or other source of non-dairy protein(e.g. lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, hummus and falafel) every day
- Oily fish, such as salmon, at least once every three weeks.
- A starchy food such as any type of bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, potatoes or other type of cereals every day.
- Dairy food such as semi-skimmed milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais or custard everyday
- A drink such 100% fruit juice, semi-skimmed milk, yogurt drink or a bottle of water
Packed lunches should NOT include:
- Snacks such as crisps.
- Nuts and nut products (we have a number of children with severe nut allergies in school)
- Drinks with added sugar, sweeteners, colouring or additives (school will supply water for all children)
- Confectionery such as chocolate bars, chocolate-coated biscuits and sweets.
- Meat products such as sausage rolls, individual pies, corned meat and sausages / chipolatas should be included only occasionally.
Cakes and biscuits are allowed but encourage your child to eat these only as part of a balanced meal which includes a good range of the elements on the ‘should include’ list above.
For some examples please see the Healthy Packed Lunch Leaflet
More information can be found at the following signs: