Project background

In the UK, the prevalence of obesity amongst children starting school is 9.6%. This is disproportionately felt by children from deprived areas, where rates are double (12.9%) what is seen in the least deprived areas (6%). In the context of children’s diets in the UK, lunch provides about a third of energy intake, and this can either be provided by the school/early-years provider, or by the parent as a packed lunch. School meals in England are required by law to comply with limits on portion size and nutrient standards. Early-years (pre-school) care providers have guidance as they vary in size and type (e.g. nursery, childminders), but these are not necessarily widely used. Packed lunches, whether prepared in the home or shop-bought items, are not required to comply with any school food standards.

A 2010 evaluation of school packed lunches for 8–9-year-olds showed that only 1.1% met all the school food standards, with only 19% including vegetables and as many as 82% including discretionary high salt, fat or sugar snacks (e.g. crisps, confectionary). Recent photo data from early-years providers suggests similar trends are present in pre-school children’s packed lunches.  

Packed lunches provided by parents play a key role in child health and have the potential to impact child obesity. Interventions to support parents can change the nutrient profile of packed lunches, and enforcing school food standards can reduce the prevalence of obesity. Research into perceptions of packed lunch provision for older children shows that parents are trying to offer food that does not damage (e.g. a bruised banana) or perish in unrefrigerated lunchboxes and will reliably be eaten by their child. This may explain why parents tend to offer few vegetables and more discretionary high salt, fat or sugar snacks..  But our understanding of parents’ motivations when planning packed lunches for younger-aged children is still limited.

The current project will review available evidence on effective methods to change meal choices, collect data on parents’ motivations and behaviours and finally use co-development methodologies to produce a resource pack for parents and practitioners, with parents and practitioners. The work will focus on pre-school (aged 1-4) and early school (aged 4-7) ages, given the lack of research in this age group, and the critical role of the early years in later childhood and adulthood obesity and health.

The nutritional profile of commercial foods targeted at children is of topical interest in the UK. A 2025 BBC investigation focusing on baby food pouches found that they are often low in vitamins and minerals, with levels of sugar that exceed NHS recommendations for infants. This led to the Department of Health and Social Care setting out a timeline for change from industry in terms of labelling and composition of these products. Currently no minimum food standards expectations are being discussed for products aimed at 1-7 year old children.