Conduct a lunchbox audit in your school
Running activities in your school to promote healthier lunchboxes can be fun and generate interest from pupils, parents and the local community, but does it have any effect? Has the work paid off? Have lunchboxes improved? How do you know?
— to find out, conduct an audit.
- Conduct a Lunchbox Audit
Conduct an audit of the contents of the children’s packed lunches first of all. This process will give you a baseline — from which you can see if any changes occur as a result of your activities. It will also give you an indication of the changes most needed.
There is a packed lunch and school meal audit form and a lunch box audit form available from the downloads page. - Run related activities
When you run your activities, aim to involve the whole school community. Make sure that both parents and pupils are aware of why the school expects changes in the packed lunches and how to implement them. - Conduct a Second Lunchbox Audit
Plan to conduct a second audit after the activity has finished, or a little later, for example at the end of the school term. Use the same audit again so that the difference recorded is not due to using a different technique. - Share Your Results
What did you find out? Did the promotion on lunchboxes make a difference?
YES: Congratulations! How will you make sure that the changes are sustained? Plan realistic ways of promoting health in school continuously.
NO: How could things be done differently? Evaluate the different approaches taken.
Do not give up. The health and wellbeing of your pupils is important.