What Moms and Kids Think of School Lunch

The Lunchables Lunchroom Monitor Survey

The Lunchables Lunchroom Monitor Survey was designed to determine how kids and moms feel about lunch time at school.

Here are some of the statistics about the mothers' thoughts:

• When moms pack lunches, 47% of those surveyed include items based on their nutritional value, 26% base the items on their children's requests, and 22% choose items based on convenience.
• When they are shopping, 36% of moms read nutrition labels, 21% trust their own instincts, and 19% buy whatever their child wants.
• Ninety-seven percent of moms believe that their kids think that taste is the most important factor at lunch.
• Forty percent of moms send money with their kids to buy lunches although they feel those school lunches are less nutritious than lunches they would pack at home.
• Forty-three percent of moms said that their child's grades are the most important concern, followed by 20% of moms worry about peer pressures, and 15% worry about their child's safety.

With this information it is apparent that while nutrition is important, mothers are concerned more about other issues. It also appears that good nutrition might not always be much more important to moms than convenience. This isn't surprising, since moms and dads have very busy lives, hectic mornings, and it isn't always easy to have a great school lunch prepared.

Here are some of the statistics about the children's thoughts:

The children who were polled were between the ages of eight and 12.

• Forty-seven percent of children help pack their lunch at least once per week, and 65 percent of those children pack their lunch in the morning, before school.
• Thirty percent of the 11 - 12 year olds prefer a brown bag, while 60 percent of the younger kids prefer a lunch box.
• Over 70% pack sandwiches and approximately 40% pack fruit.
• Forty-two percent of the 11-12 year olds want to pack chips and 39% of the younger children would like juice boxes.
• Forty percent of the children say their favorite food would be pizza and food suited for dipping also scored high.

By looking at this information, it appears that taste is very important to kids and the proper type of lunch box or bag might be important too. The traditional sandwich and fruit lunch appears to be the mainstay, but it seems that kids would like some variety and fun foods in their packed lunches.

Some lunchtime solutions

One way to keep kids happy at lunch time is to offer variety. A healthy sandwich with whole grain bread, a healthy protein source such as lean meat or nut butter is great, but it may get boring when served day after day. Offer your child something fun for lunch, perhaps something that you make at home, or lunch items that you purchase. The new Lunchables® Fun Fuel^TM made by Oscar Mayer® are designed so that each lunch combination offers choices from four of the five USDA Food Pyramid food groups. Each lunch supplies 22 to 33 percent of a day's calories with less than 30 percent of those calories from fat. These lunches can be fun, healthy and add a bit of convenience to a busy morning.

Resource:

The 2004 Lunchables Lunchroom Monitor Survey, conducted by KRC Research.

Make lunchtime fun with these tips.