Sneak peek: food, waste and packaging characteristics of South Australian school children's lunchboxes.

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: Twenty-three sites across metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia including fourteen preschools and nine primary schools in low (n 8), medium (n 7) and high (n 8) socioeconomic areas.

Participants: Preschool (ages 3-5 years) to Grade 7 primary school (ages 6-13 years) 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 % v. 65 %; χ2(1) = 73·3, P < 0·01), vegetables (36 % v. 16 %; χ2(1) = 34·0, P < 0·01) and dairy items (45 % v. 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.