School lunches are more than just a midday meal. They’re a chance to help kids develop good eating habits that benefit them and the planet. When kids learn about good nutrition and how to reduce food waste early on, these lessons can stick with them for life. Getting them involved in choosing and packing their own lunches is a great way to teach them about how their choices impact the earth.
A lunchbox rethink can make a big difference. Every day, millions of kids unwrap sandwiches and toss plastic bags and juice boxes straight into the bin. In Europe, the average student creates over 19kg of lunch waste each school year.1 While much of that comes from school canteens, packed lunches play their part too. With just a few simple changes, packed lunches can be healthier, less wasteful, and promote lifelong habits that benefit everyone.
Getting the kids on board
One of the best ways to encourage your kids to enjoy and eat a planet-friendly lunch is to get them involved from the very start. When kids help plan meals, choose ingredients, and pack their school lunch, they’re more likely to eat it. And when they’ve put time and work into it, they’re less likely to waste it. Getting their opinion and letting them choose from a few different healthy options can help them learn about where food comes from and how their decisions impact the planet.
As parents, grocery shopping can be just another boring chore. But for kids, it can be a fun experience, exploring the aisles and finding new foods. Let them make a list of foods needed for the week. Then do some research online about the choices available in your local store. Shopping together can help make them aware of the true cost of food and the effort involved.2
Choosing the right tools
Keeping lunch fresh, tasty, and looking good is important. Kids can be picky, but with a few clever swaps, you can keep their food appealing and still reduce waste. Here are a few eco-friendly items that can make all the difference.
Good-quality reusable storage containers: It might seem like a big investment at the start of the school year, but a decent lunchbox is worth buying. It reduces unnecessary plastic wrap and aluminium foil. Find one that is well-made and easy to clean. Bento boxes or tiffin boxes are an ideal way to serve food as they have useful compartments and storage. Stainless steel is best as it's non-toxic, durable, and recyclable.3
Ditch plastic wrap: If your kid still loves their sandwich wrapped, try reusable beeswax wraps instead. They’re washable and keep food fresh, and avoid all that wasted plastic wrap. These cute beeswax wraps often come in lots of kid-friendly designs.
Proper utensils and napkins: Let your kids choose a nice set of cloth napkins and a set of reusable cutlery, preferably made from stainless steel. This cuts down on wasted paper napkins and plastic cutlery. Having your kid pick out their lunch gear gives them a little more ownership and pride in their lunch.
Reusable water bottle: One of the simplest ways to reduce waste is to use a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water or juice cartons. A sturdy stainless-steel one can be costly. Have your kids select their favourite and explain to them why it’s special. This way, they’ll be more likely to take care of it and hopefully won’t lose it.
Keep food at its best: Use insulated food containers or a thermos to keep pastas and stews warm in winter, or keep yoghurt cool in the summer. Food that tastes fresh and is at the right temperature is more likely to be eaten.
What goes in your eco-friendly lunch box?
A balanced, eco-friendly lunch includes all the food groups, with a focus on whole and organic ingredients where possible. Here are some of the basic food groups that are important to have in your lunchbox.
Starchy foods: These foods are an important part of lunch as they give kids energy, B vitamins, and minerals.3 Bread sandwiches, tortilla wraps, couscous, pasta or rice salad are all terrific starchy foods to include. For extra nutrients, consider adding starchy foods that are naturally packed with fibre, such as wholegrain breads, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or quinoa.
More fibre means happier tummies and steady energy. Find out why fibre is so important and how to pack more in your diet.
Fruits and vegetables: Aim for at least one fruit and one vegetable. Where possible, choose fruits that are local and in season to reduce the carbon footprint. Fresh food in season can also be tastier and helps support local farmers. Many kids like bright colours, such as crunchy green cucumbers, orange carrot sticks, purple grapes, blueberries, etc. Remember, dried fruits and even low-sugar canned fruits can be a good option, especially during the winter months when fresh, local fruit is harder to get.
Protein: Try to include at least one protein in your kid’s lunch. Instead of relying on processed meats, think about adding chickpeas, lentils, beans, hummus, or tofu. They are all excellent sources of protein that are healthy for growing bodies, and better for the environment. Try pairing healthy starches with proteins and veggies. For example, hummus and veggie wraps, quinoa with kidney beans and corn, or buckwheat noodles with tofu and cucumbers.
Dairy or dairy alternatives: Cheese, yoghurt, or a fortified dairy-free alternative like soy yoghurt or oat milk are all good sources of calcium and vitamins. Aim for one of these in the lunch box.4 Kids need calcium to build strong bones and teeth. About 90% of bone mass is built before age 18.5
Easy and healthy lunchbox ideas
Here are a few quick and healthy lunch ideas that the kids can help make. Invest in some kid-safe knives and be sure to supervise and teach them how to wash and cut fruits and veggies. By making school lunches together, your kids will become more confident in the kitchen and can adapt the recipes to their taste.
Rainbow crunch lunch: a range of colourful sliced veggies, soft pitta triangles, and creamy homemade hummus. Followed by crunchy homemade granola, soy yoghurt, and dried cranberries for dessert. This would work perfectly in a tiffin lunch box, with the pitta, hummus, and dessert packed into separate compartments.
Bean boost wraps: a whole-wheat cheese wrap with a side of black bean and corn salad. Paired with sweet apple slices and natural yoghurt.
Tomorrow’s lunch tonight: this clever make-ahead lunch mixes roasted veggies into a tasty pasta salad. Just cook a little extra pasta and roast a few more veggies at dinner the day before, then pop them into lunchboxes the next day. You can include a pot of creamy overnight oats for dessert (also prepared the previous night).
Right-sized lunches
Sadly, a lot of packed lunches end up in the bin. Getting the portions right is key to reducing food waste. Talk with your kids so you can plan portions that you know they will eat. Try to include tasty fruits and foods that they do like, so they’re more likely to eat them all. Here are a few other tips to avoid overpacking and food waste.
Knowing how much your child needs: To ensure a healthy and balanced diet, it’s important to remember the food groups and consider their recommended proportions. Each day, your kid needs at least five portions of vegetables and fruit, four portions of starchy foods, three portions of dairy or dairy alternative and two portions of protein.6 For a well-balanced school lunch, try to include the following:
- 1 veggie
- 1 fruit
- 1 starchy food
- 1 dairy or dairy alternative
- 1 protein
Meal planning: Planning for the week can help you buy only what you need and ensure the food you buy gets eaten. Invite your little ones to get involved in the planning process so they can have a say in what they eat and won’t be in for any surprises.
Plan it once, enjoy it all week. Meal planning saves time, cuts waste, and can reduce a lot of stress. Find out how to make meal-planning work for you.
Bring leftovers home: Encourage your child to bring home any uneaten food. This helps you understand their eating habits and allows you to adjust portions or types of food for future lunches. Some kids like to eat straight away after getting home from school and might appreciate a bite of the remaining food then. And if they don’t want it, at least it allows you to compost the uneaten food, so it goes back to the earth.
A packed lunch, packed with values
Parenting is hard, and life gets hectic, so give yourself a break if you can’t make lunch from scratch every time. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about the effort. Every small change, every reusable item, and every thoughtful food choice adds up for your family and the environment. School lunches also send a powerful message to our kids about our values. By choosing sustainable packaging and planet-friendly foods, we’re teaching them where food comes from and how our choices impact our health and the environment. Simply making and packing lunch together can be a fun way to get kids interested in food. By putting these ideas into action, you’re teaching your kids how each of us can do our part to care for the planet.
