from the Wire Services

Eat, Trash or Trade: New Survey Reveals What Is Happening in School Lunchrooms MADISON, Wis., April 26 2004-- Nutritious lunches during the grade-school years may help growing kids develop long-term good eating habits. And, while most moms can ensure their kids are eating well-balanced meals at breakfast and dinner, what happens at school when mom is not around?

Give them something they'll want to eat

After she takes the time to pack a school lunch, are her kids trashing, trading or enjoying every last bite? Or, when the lunch bell rings, does the lunchroom suddenly look like the stock trading floor on Wall Street?

To end this mealtime mystery and provide moms with an inside look at what is actually happening in today's lunchrooms, the 2004 Lunchroom Monitor Survey, which polled more than 1,000 moms and 1,000 kids (age 8-12) nationwide. Funded by LUNCHABLES and conducted by KRC Research, the survey revealed mom's intuition is right on -- kids are trashing (73%) and trading (36%) parts of their school lunch at least once a week.

Sandwiches (90%), fruit (62%), chips (62%) and juice boxes (61%) are the top four items typically found in brown bag lunches, with most kids (44%) favoring the sandwich or main entree -- because, of course -- taste matters to kids at school lunchtime. However, when kids do swap, it is most often for a sweet (16%) or salty (16%) item. Plus, more than 40 percent of the kids surveyed say they would rather buy their lunch at school instead of bring it because they say it is a "better" (tasting) lunch.

Second to taste for kids is fun. According to the Lunchroom Monitor Survey, 40 percent of kids say they have 20 to 30 minutes to eat their lunch, while almost 50 percent say they spend less than 15 minutes eating it. In fact, 56 percent of kids say the best part of lunch is hanging out with their friends, while only a small percentage (17%) say it is actually eating their lunch.

The Lunchroom Monitor Survey also found that while kids (21%) and dads (4%) both pack school lunches, the majority of lunches are packed by mom (73%), whose intuition serves her well, believing fun and taste are most important to kids. For example, more than 90 percent of moms think their kids spend less than 30 minutes actually eating their lunches. And, while more than one-fourth (26%) believe their kids are eating every last bite of their lunch, more believe they are trashing (69%) and trading (40%) part of it at least once a week.

Not surprising, 52 percent of moms say their biggest challenge is packing items that her child likes and are nutritious, with an overwhelming majority of moms (97%) saying the nutritional value of their child's lunch is important to them. However, nearly one-third also admit to occasionally sacrificing nutritional content for convenience. The good news for moms is that convenient and nutritious lunches, which include your child's favorite food items, can go hand and hand.

According to Jodie Shield, M.Ed., R.D., mother of three and co-author of the American Dietetic Association Guide to Healthy Eating for Kids: How Your Children Can Eat Smart from 5-12 (John Wiley, 2002), moms just need to think outside of the box -- the lunchbox, that is. "Well-balanced lunches containing foods from the major food groups don't have to be boring," says Shield. "In fact, many pre-packaged lunches can pack a powerful, tasty and nutritional punch -- as well as deliver fun."

Pre-packaged lunch kits, like LUNCHABLES® Fun Fuel™ lunch combinations, can help moms pack a nutritious lunch that kids will treasure versus trade or trash. These products are based on the guidelines of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, with choices from four of the five food groups. This is especially critical since only two percent of today's kids are meeting the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations for all five major food groups.

For a less expensive option to fun and nutritional lunches, consider setting aside a an hour on the weekend to plan lunches and create dishes with the help of your children they will like. This offers the opportunity to teach healthy cooking and eating habits. Pickled vegetables or fun salad items like 3-bean salad get them the greens they'll actually eat. Create a low fat, high flavor Humus spread for dipping. Flat bread sandwiches can also be fun to make and stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, (leave off condiments to preserve freshness. Most schools have mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard available). Augment the homemade with one school bought lunch and one pre-packaged treat to keep your children happy while also teaching nutrition skills that can last a lifetime.

See Couples Company's Healthy Habits for Recipes that taste good and are good for you!