Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes
ABSTRACT Objective: To characterise children’s lunchbox contents for food, waste, and packaging. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Lunchboxes were photographed at two time points on the same day: before first morning break to capture food and packaging and post-lunch break to captur...
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Cambridge University Press
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| Series: | Public Health Nutrition |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025000126/type/journal_article |
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| author | Neha Kishan Lalchandani Clare Hume Lynne Giles Shona Crabb Jo Hendrikx Caroline Miller |
| author_facet | Neha Kishan Lalchandani Clare Hume Lynne Giles Shona Crabb Jo Hendrikx Caroline Miller |
| author_sort | Neha Kishan Lalchandani |
| collection | DOAJ |
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ABSTRACT
Objective:
To characterise children’s lunchbox contents for food, waste, and packaging.
Design:
A cross-sectional study was conducted. Lunchboxes were photographed at two time points on the same day: before first morning break to capture food and packaging and post-lunch break to capture food waste. Contents were coded using an audit tool developed using REDCap.
Setting:
23 sites across metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia including 14 preschools and 9 primary schools in low (n=8), medium (n=7), and high (n=8) socioeconomic areas.
Participants:
Preschool (3-5 years) to Grade 7 (6-13 years) school students.
Results:
673 lunchboxes were analysed. Grain foods dominated (with at least half of them being discretionary varieties), with 92% of lunchboxes having at least one item from that category, followed by fruits (78%), snacks (62%), dairy (32%), and vegetables (26%). Lunchboxes of preschool children contained more fruits (92% vs 65%; χ2(1)=73.3, P<0.01), vegetables (36% vs 16%; χ2(1)=34.0, P<0.01), and dairy items (45% vs 19%; χ2(1)=53.6, P<0.01), compared to lunchboxes of primary school children. Snack foods were more prevalent in primary school (68%) than preschool (55%; χ2(1)=11.2, P<0.01). Discretionary foods appeared more frequently, and single-use packaging accounted for half (53%) of all packaging in lunchboxes, primarily from snacks and grain foods. Preschool children had less single-use packaging but more food waste. Vegetables were the most wasted food group.
Conclusions:
Sandwiches, fruits, and various snacks are typical lunchbox foods, often accompanied by single-use packaging. Considering both health and environmental factors in lunchbox choices could benefit children and sustainability efforts in schools.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-575e297acfed4488a0b4822597602436 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1368-9800 1475-2727 |
| language | English |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Public Health Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-575e297acfed4488a0b48225976024362025-02-03T03:27:43ZengCambridge University PressPublic Health Nutrition1368-98001475-272713910.1017/S1368980025000126Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s LunchboxesNeha Kishan Lalchandani0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6359-1704Clare Hume1Lynne Giles2Shona Crabb3Jo Hendrikx4Caroline Miller5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9723-8047School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, AustraliaSchool of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, AustraliaSchool of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, AustraliaSchool of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, AustraliaKESAB environmental solutions, 214 Grange Rd, Flinders Park, Adelaide 5025, AustraliaSchool of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia Health Policy Centre, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide 5000, Australia ABSTRACT Objective: To characterise children’s lunchbox contents for food, waste, and packaging. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Lunchboxes were photographed at two time points on the same day: before first morning break to capture food and packaging and post-lunch break to capture food waste. Contents were coded using an audit tool developed using REDCap. Setting: 23 sites across metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia including 14 preschools and 9 primary schools in low (n=8), medium (n=7), and high (n=8) socioeconomic areas. Participants: Preschool (3-5 years) to Grade 7 (6-13 years) school students. Results: 673 lunchboxes were analysed. Grain foods dominated (with at least half of them being discretionary varieties), with 92% of lunchboxes having at least one item from that category, followed by fruits (78%), snacks (62%), dairy (32%), and vegetables (26%). Lunchboxes of preschool children contained more fruits (92% vs 65%; χ2(1)=73.3, P<0.01), vegetables (36% vs 16%; χ2(1)=34.0, P<0.01), and dairy items (45% vs 19%; χ2(1)=53.6, P<0.01), compared to lunchboxes of primary school children. Snack foods were more prevalent in primary school (68%) than preschool (55%; χ2(1)=11.2, P<0.01). Discretionary foods appeared more frequently, and single-use packaging accounted for half (53%) of all packaging in lunchboxes, primarily from snacks and grain foods. Preschool children had less single-use packaging but more food waste. Vegetables were the most wasted food group. Conclusions: Sandwiches, fruits, and various snacks are typical lunchbox foods, often accompanied by single-use packaging. Considering both health and environmental factors in lunchbox choices could benefit children and sustainability efforts in schools. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025000126/type/journal_article |
| spellingShingle | Neha Kishan Lalchandani Clare Hume Lynne Giles Shona Crabb Jo Hendrikx Caroline Miller Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes Public Health Nutrition |
| title | Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes |
| title_full | Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes |
| title_fullStr | Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes |
| title_short | Sneak Peek: Food, Waste, and Packaging Characteristics of South Australian School Children’s Lunchboxes |
| title_sort | sneak peek food waste and packaging characteristics of south australian school children s lunchboxes |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1368980025000126/type/journal_article |
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