School Food Trust 3rd Floor 2 St Paul’s Place 125 Norfolk St Sheffield S1 2JF T. 0844 800 9048 F. 0114 259 1291 E: info@sft.gsi.gov.uk www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk March 2010
Dear Parent/Carer Attached to this letter are some ideas of packed lunches for your child The School Food Trust has been set up to improve the food children eat in schools. Since 2005, we have been helping schools and caterers to introduce the Government’s mandatory food and nutrient-based standards. These standards make sure that children have access to a healthy and tasty school lunch. On average, school lunches contain the right levels of energy and nutrients required by children for healthy growth and development. By encouraging your child to eat school lunches you can now be sure that they have access to varied, tasty, well-balanced meals. Many schools, in consultation with parents and pupils, have introduced a packed lunch policy to support the introduction of healthier school lunches. Lots of parents tell us they are not sure which foods they can include to ensure that their child’s lunch box is healthy and nutritionally balanced. The School Food Trust have developed three different packed lunch menus for primary school aged children with tried and tested recipes that meet the same nutrient-based standards as school lunches. These 3-week packed lunch menus require a bit more work than typical packed lunches. This is because a range of foods are required to ensure that they are nutritionally balanced. If it all seems like too much work why not rethink school lunches. Some children can be fussy eaters, and your child may overcome some of his or her dislikes just by eating a school lunch with their friends and trying new foods together. This may be a good way of ensuring that your child has a healthy meal which may impact on their behaviour and concentration in the classroom. If you are still not sure your child will like school meals or if you are concerned about the quality of school lunches talk to your school about going in to try the food for yourself – most schools and caterers welcome parents to tasting sessions and appreciate their feedback. The School Food Trust has developed many resources for schools and caterers to help them introduce healthier school meals. Please encourage them to get in touch with us at info@sft.gsi.gov.uk or by telephone on 0844 800 9048. We hope you find these packed lunch menus helpful. Best wishes Judy Hargadon Chief Executive