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School catering choices 'healthier than packed lunches'
4 Oct 2011

Cashless catering could prove to be a way of making schoolchildren healthier, a new poll has suggested.

Research carried out by the School Food Trust found that many parents are failing to put fruit and vegetables into their children's lunch boxes, with 40 per cent not containing any for youngsters to eat.

This compares to just ten per cent of school meals, which are mostly designed to ensure pupils go some way to getting their five-a-day.

Patricia Mucavele, spokesperson for the School Food Trust, said: "Packed lunches aren't as nutritious as school meals - they are typically higher in saturated fat, sugar and salt and often contain foods that can't be provided in schools such as sweets."

She also pointed out that parents spent the equivalent of eight days a year making packed lunches, so they could save time by opting in to their school's cashless catering initiative.

This comes after Arnold Fewell, founder of myschoollunch.co.uk, said he thinks using prepaid cards for school meals will make it easier for both parents and teachers to process payments in a timely manner.