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Packing a lunch
Diane Cross test-drives the latest snack foods designed for your child’s lunchboxes, with a little help from a panel of judges: her kids and their friendsAs if there isn’t enough to do in the morning. Preparing a healthy, appetising packed lunch that won’t simply return at the end of the day looking as dishevelled as its owner is a daunting task.
However, help seems to be at hand. Food manufacturers have come to our aid with a range of products that will appeal to the youthful eye and appetite. But should we be feeding our kids such pre-packed foods? And do they have any nutritional value?
Hard to please
To answer these questions, I found a tasting panel of the strictest of judges and critics – my kids and their friends and parents. We looked at a range of dips, tubes, cheese treats and build-your-own snacks all designed for the school lunchbox.
We awarded each product a mark out of ten. Not surprisingly, our primary-age panel was concerned about appearance and novelty value, while parents tempered their children’s enthusiasm with concerns about cost, nutritional value, additives and excessive use of packaging. Both points of view are reflected in the scores.
The conclusion was that these pre-packed lunchtime snacks were not enough to fill a lunchbox. And while they rarely represent good value for money, they’re usually worth the money if they get eaten.
For advice on filling a lunchbox, click here; otherwise read the results of the taste test:
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