Innocent lunch box snap should set alarm bells ringing - say experts

20 January 2024 , 09:00

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This lunch box snap has left experts 'concerned' (Image: Cancer Council NSW)

A picture of a school packed lunch should horrify parents, according to experts, but many may not realise what is wrong with the contents and why they are so bad for a child's health.

If you think this is a photo of an innocent lunchbox, you might want to think again. The spread includes a number of staples parents probably enjoyed when they were in school, including white bread sandwiches, crackers, a fruit roll up and a chocolate yogurt.

But the Australian nutrition experts at the Cancer Council NSW have warned similar meals could be doing more harm than good, despite parents' best intentions.

To explain their concerns, the pros set up two different offerings - and challenged people to spot the difference between the lunchboxes. In the second, the former options are replaced by a cheese and tomato sandwich, fruit, vegetable sticks and a yoghurt.

They then went on to share why what might look like a small change is in fact a significant difference, as the first box contains twice the sugar of its competitor.

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And if that wasn't enough to send alarm bells ringing for parents, the contents of the unhealthier box also reportedly cost twice as much, due to most of it being pre-packaged items.

Speaking to news.com.au in 2022, Cancer Council NSW's senior nutrition program officer Nina Tan explained that many parents buy pre-packaged snacks for school because it saves time - or because children really want them.

Can you see what's wrong with this photo? (Cancer Council NSW)

The council shared this second snap of a lunch box, which was much healthier (Cancer Council NSW)

She said: "When it comes to pre-packaged foods, companies are plastering them with nutrition-related marketing claims like 'source of calcium' or 'no artificial…', and adding colours, cartoon characters and fonts designed to draw in both parents and kids.

"Bright colours, cartoon animals and fun shapes are used to attract children, and text like 'no need to chill' and 'the perfect lunch box biscuits' are used to appeal to parents' desire to make easy and quick lunch box choices for their kids, but these snacks can be packed with sugar, salt and kilojoules and often don't provide children with the nutrients they need."

Cancer Council NSW previously assessed 140 popular lunch box snacks in Australia and found nearly 80 per cent could be classified as unhealthy.

Ms Tan added that they were "particularly concerned" by the results given the role lunch box snacks played in a children's diet.

In an attempt to tackle this concern, the council have since set up a website for parents to help them pack healthier lunches.

Beth Hardie