Thinking out of the lunchbox: How do school meals and snacking impact children’s nutrition?

29 Aug 2019 --- As the summer season draws to a close, children around the world prepare to go back to school. Among the preparations, and beyond pencils and notebooks, healthy meals and snacking at school are a parent’s proverbial headache. Childhood obesity is a constant concern, driven by high-sugar snacks and junk food marketing aimed at children. With the demand for clean label products and natural ingredients rising, NutritionInsight examines the effect school meals can have on children’s nutrition. Moreover, what are the popular snacking trends among schoolchildren and what role does policy play in promoting healthy meal options?

School is a huge part of children’s lives and what they consume during the school day is of crucial importance and may shape their nutritional habits later in life. Lunchboxes prepared at home may seem the easiest way to control a child’s nutrition but parents’ busy lifestyles often prevent them from preparing food. For this reason, convenient snacking options and cafeteria meals remain popular choices among schoolchildren. 

Recognizing this market, the industry has taken steps to appeal to those parents who may not have ample time to prepare food for their children, but still want them to eat nutritiously dense foods. Innova Market Insights reports a compound average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 percent in food and beverage launches with a school claim from 2013 to 2017, which includes “at school,” “school lunches” and “after school.”

The market researcher further notes that “No Additives/Preservatives” is a growing claim among food and beverage products with a school claim, seeing a CAGR of 36 percent in the period from 2013 to 2017.

Convenience drives NPD
Some recent examples of launches targeting school snacking include KIND’s Breakfast Probiotics bar line which boasts 500 million CFU probiotic cultures. The bars are available in three flavors, Apple Cinnamon, Orange Cranberry and Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate. In the same space and founded by a group of popular actors including Kristen Bell, This Bar Saves Lives is a brand of children’s cereal bars that is boasting a nutritious content as well as a social impact. For every bar purchased a child in need is fed, via the company’s collaboration with several NGOs.

Lunchables remain a popular option, however they are criticized for their often poor nutritional value. In the same genre, Sargento Foods has launched Sunrise Balanced Breaks. Within the refrigerated snacks category, the launch combines nutritious natural cheese and other ingredients like walnut oat granola, quinoa clusters or maple pumpkin seeds.

Homemade meals and parental influence
Homemade meals and snacks, however, are the choice that parents with less hectic schedules may prefer. Lunchboxes packed with fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains are a good way to assist in what children consume at school and ensure that they keep away from indulgent temptation.

The dietary habits of children are significantly influenced by the environment they grow up in and the eating habits of their parents.Damon Korb, M.D., a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, supports that children over nine years old should prepare their own school lunches. Korb says this move may help kids get themselves to take on more of their own responsibilities. In addition, it will teach them more about nutrition and how to make healthy food choices.

Nevertheless, not all parents follow healthy eating patterns. The dietary habits of children are significantly influenced by the environment they grow up in and the eating habits of their parents. Every child has its own specific nutritional needs and while all parents want their children to be nutritiously fed, dietary habits can almost be “hereditary.”

Children from families with obese parents are at a significantly higher risk of obesity compared to children with normal-weight parents. A child with one obese parent has a 50 percent chance of being obese. When both parents are obese, their children have an 80 percent chance of obesity, according to research from the University of California San Fransisco (USCF) Benioff Children’s Hospital. 

Nutrition programs and policy role
School-based nutrition programs and recommendations promote healthier eating habits and result in a lower body mass index (BMI) among middle schoolers, found a study by the Yale School of Public Health. The findings indicated the importance of promoting health in schools to help mitigate childhood obesity. Schools that didn’t receive support to implement nutritional policies and programs showed a three to four percent increase in BMI across their student body compared to schools that had enhanced support in implementing such policies and programs.

Noting the importance of school lunches on children’s nutrition, in 2010 the Obama administration spearheaded change via a set of nutrition rules for US school meals. Championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” reduced school lunch calorie limits, cut sodium and trans fats and added more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the menu. However, in December 2018, the Trump administration urged the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to amend the nutrition rules meaning that white bread and low-fat, flavored milk are back on the menu. The move drew ire from nutrition advocates and think tanks but was framed by US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue as “empowering” and giving “flexibility” back to school cafeterias.

The Safe Snack Guide is a resource that seeks to keep allergens out of the classroom and the home.Meanwhile, in Canada, it was found that children do not eat enough vegetables, fruit or dairy products during school hours, causing them to fail to reach several daily dietary recommendations on school days. This issue was compounded by the fact that intake of less nutritious foods like sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks and candies was relatively higher during school hours. The University of British Columbia (UBC) research findings highlight the importance of policy in promoting healthy meal options during school hours, as opposed to unhealthy snacks.

In the UK, obesity-prevention charity Sugarwise flagged that British children are consuming high levels of sugar at school due to a lack of limits being in place. Its new certification scheme that curbs the over-consumption of sugar launches in June in over 500 schools who have limited the sugar content in their foods to become certified Sugarwise ahead of the national scheme’s official launch. Schools in Ireland, Germany and Belgium, who also have no sugar limits for children, will also jump aboard the scheme later this year.

Shifting responsibility onto school administrators, SnackSafely.com, publisher of the Safe Snack Guide, a resource that seeks to keep allergens out of the classroom and the home, announced a new feature that allows teachers and school nurses to tailor custom snack guides to match the allergen restrictions of their students.

Lastly, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a set of “health hacks for back-to-school success.” Among the suggestions are limiting sugary drinks consumption, eating healthy and maintaining an active lifestyle.

By Kristiana Lalou