Three options in the Selection Aid
The Selection Aid offers three options:
- Healthy lunchbox: Pupils bring a lunchbox from home, prepared by their parents. The contents are in line with the school's nutrition policy.
- Prepared at school: The school provides a healthy lunch for all pupils. The menu follows the Wheel of Five and the school's nutrition policy. The meals are served hot or cold.
- Prepared externally: A caterer or supplier handles the purchasing and preparation. The meals are delivered ready-made and/or provided per child or in serving dishes per class, hot or cold.
Each option addresses aspects such as the time investment required at school, costs, parental involvement, equality of opportunity, impact on health and impact on sustainability.
Step-by-Step Plan
After a primary school has chosen one of the options or a combination of them, there is a step-by-step plan for each option to help implement it. The step-by-step plans guide primary schools through what is needed to introduce a healthy school lunch, step by step.
- Healthy lunchbox: When the school introduces a policy for healthy lunchboxes, responsibility lies partly with parents and partly with the school. Clear agreements and good communication are crucial. To organise this properly, a step-by-step plan has been developed with four phases: preparation, elaboration, implementation, and maintaining & sustaining.
- Prepared at school: When the school provides the lunch itself, the groceries are usually delivered by a supermarket, wholesaler or supplier. The school determines the menu: for example, bread with toppings, snack vegetables, fruit or a hot meal prepared at school. To organise this properly, a step-by-step plan has been developed with four phases: preparation, elaboration, implementation, and maintaining & sustaining.
- Prepared externally: If the school chooses an external supplier or caterer for the lunch, this saves a great deal of work. The caterer handles the purchasing and delivers the meals ready-made. Nevertheless, the school still has an important role: making choices, coordinating with those involved and organising matters at school. To organise this properly, a step-by-step plan has been developed with four phases: preparation, elaboration, implementation, and maintaining & sustaining.
Inspiration
To show how other primary schools do this, there are four inspiring examples: two of healthy school lunches prepared externally and two of healthy school lunches prepared at school.
Research and FAQ
The page about the healthy school lunches tool also contains information on what research has shown about healthy school lunches. In addition, there are the FAQs.