A cross-sectional assessment of food- and nutrient-based standards applied to British schoolchildren's packed lunches

Abstract

Objective In England, standards for school meals included both foods and nutrients until 2015. School policies for packed lunches are generally food based; research is needed to determine whether these are adequate or whether a small number of nutrients would potentially improve their quality. Design From dietary data obtained using a weighed dietary assessment tool, a diet quality score (DQS) for packed lunches was calculated using the number of standards met out of twenty-one (eight foods and thirteen nutrients). Multilevel regression analysis determined the foods and nutrients contributing to variation in the DQS. Setting Eighty-nine primary schools across the four regions of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Subjects British schoolchildren (n 1294), aged 8-9 years, taking a packed lunch. Results The optimal model included all eight foods and seven of the thirteen nutrients, explaining 72 % of the variance in DQS. Folate, Fe and vitamin C, together with the eight food groups, explained 70 % of DQS variation. Conclusions Ideally, policies for school packed lunches should include food-based standards plus recommendations based on a small number of nutrients.