The pressure to make the perfect Instagram bento box lunch is on the rise but the humble Vegemite sandwich shouldn't be overlooked, as tuckshops up their game.
Paediatric dietitian Amy Thompson said in the past five years she had seen a big push, driven through social media, for unprocessed, unpackaged foods but said a healthy lunch did not have to be unwrapped and organic.
"Families are busier now than they've ever been and there's just been so much change in the lunch box and the expectation on parents in what they will send in that lunch box," she said.
"Instead of cute, trendy and popular, a lunch box should be practical, affordable and include some healthy options that your child will actually eat."
Social media was putting pressure on parents to make an exotic variety of food for their kids each day, she said.
"Variety is the biggest misconception that we see … because you go onto these food pages on Instagram and there's all these bento boxes," she said.
"If their child is happy to eat a cheese and Vegemite sandwich on wholegrain bread every day of the week, that's perfectly fine."
The humble lunch box staple
Queensland Association of School Tuckshops' Deanne Wooden said lunch orders were slowly becoming more popular, with an uptick seen during COVID lockdowns.
She said it was estimated that about 4 per cent of primary students and 15 per cent of high school students now headed to the tuckshop two to three times a week.
Menus may have evolved to include hot food and international favourites, but sandwiches, burritos and wraps remain the biggest sellers, Ms Wooden said.
"Anything that the kids can eat with their hands is usually the biggest sellers," she said.
"Often they're not looking for fancy alternative foods, they're just looking for something that they're familiar with, that they can eat quickly and then get out and play."
Parents need not look past the "humble sandwich, they can be an absolute staple", she said.
"Especially if it's made with the wholemeal bread, with meat and cheese. That way a sandwich can be a provider of three different food groups, whereas a packet of chips or biscuits don't meet any."
If you don't have the time to make a healthy lunch, Ms Wooden said the tuckshop was the best option.
It costs about $5 for a meal and drink combo, which is also often less expensive than a lunch box of highly processed, packaged food, she said.
And if parents want healthier options at their school's tuckshop, they can go to the principal or P&C, or get involved as volunteers.
"Getting parents to be empowered is a really great way to get healthy changes in the tuckshop menu and hopefully will increase the sales," she said.
Tucking into healthy lunches
Tuckshops have a "profound influence" on children's diets Ms Thompson said.
It is estimated that more than a third of kids' daily energy is consumed while at school.
"Children are not able to make a decision on what they buy based on health, they get to the tuckshop and go 'oh there's a hotdog, there's a chicken burger'," she said.
Last year Dalby South State School's $4 sweet and sour chicken took out the Queensland Association of School Tuckshops' recipe of the year award.
Months before, the small school in Queensland's Darling Downs began to drop unhealthy foods from the tuckshop.
When kids go back this month, there'll be nothing left of the old menu.
And last term, they hit a new lunch order record — 240 orders in a day, about double what they sold 12 months ago.
Tuckshop convenor Raelene Akers said the healthy shift could be seen in lunch boxes, too.
"We don't see as many chip packets or the likes of Roll-Ups, we do tend to see a lot more fruit," she said.
"We have volunteers who have looked at what we do, and now that's what they're giving their kids in their lunches."
Kids can also go to the tuckshop to have their fruit from home cut up, or their apple made into a "slinky" — cored and cut into a spherical ribbon.
Ms Akers' advice to parents — don't overthink it.
"Just make it simple. Look at what your child will eat at home and that can carry on into the lunch box, so if your child likes several different types of fruit, do a little fruit cup."
Ms Thompson agrees.
"It's just about ticking those boxes, having the fruit, having the veg, having the protein, having the wholegrain and a source of calcium, and making sure they're going to school with water. It doesn't matter what it looks like or what it costs."
