Family health: School lunches are nutritious

People wanting their children to get nutritious meals should consider putting their offspring on school dinners, according to one expert who said that they provide one of a young person's five-a-day.

Chris Wainwright, director of communications for the School Food Trust, said that new standards implemented by the government have helped to ensure that school dinners have lost their stigma and have improved in quality.

He said: "On average, packed lunches contain more fat, salt and sugar than school lunches, and they're less likely to include fruit, vegetables and healthier drinks."

The expert added that 72 per cent of children taking school lunches choose vegetables, versus only six per cent who bring their lunch from home, which could influence people considering healthy family recipes.

In other news, the Department for Children, Schools and Families recently stated that a healthy lunch every day throughout the school year has become part of the government's plan to improve young people's diets.

Posted by Libby Ward

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Date Posted: 11/12/2009

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