Healthy packed lunches cost on average 45% more than unhealthy options

Healthy packed lunches cost parents on average 45% more than unhealthy options

New analysis from The Food Foundation as part of its Kid’s Food Guarantee has found that:

• It’s 45% more expensive, on average, for parents to feed their children a healthy packed lunch than it is to provide them unhealthy, less nutritious options
• Prices of healthy options have risen by up to 9% over the last six months in four out of five major retailers, despite a slowing in food price inflation since last November
• The Food Foundation is calling on retailers to ensure that any falls in the price of food are swiftly passed onto consumers and that nutritious items that are staples for a child’s healthy diet are prioritised.

An unhealthy packed lunch is more affordable than a healthy one

Across all five retailers looked at (Morrisons, Sainsburys, Aldi, Asda and Tesco), the unhealthy packed lunch was substantially cheaper, clearly demonstrating the barriers parents face when trying to feed their children an adequately nutritious diet.

Tesco did, however, came out best again when compared to others, with a healthy lunch being just 9% more expensive than the unhealthy packed lunch. Aldi had the biggest discrepancy in price, with the healthy packed lunch being 77% more expensive than the unhealthy packed lunch.

If parents feel they have no choice but to opt for the cheaper, unhealthy options this could start to impact on a child's health over time.

The unhealthy lunchbox items generally contain more sugar, and less fibre and micronutrients than the healthy lunch. For example, the unhealthy lunch contains white bread instead of wholemeal bread, with white bread more highly processed and containing less fibre than wholemeal.

Instead of cheese in the sandwich, there is chocolate spread, which is 50% sugar; and instead of a plain, unsweetened yogurt, there is a flavoured yogurt which contains approximately 2.5 times as much sugar. There are no fruit and veg in the unhealthy lunch compared to four portions in the healthy lunch.

 

A healthy packed lunch is becoming increasingly costly

Throughout the cost of living crisis parents have felt the financial pressure of trying to provide their children with the basic nutritious diet needed to keep them healthy.

The report finds that the cost of a weekly packed lunch varied across the retailers from £8.56 to £11.72. 

Tesco has consistently been the most economical place to purchase a healthy packed lunch. Healthy items at Morrisons, on the other hand, cost substantially more than at the other four retailers (37% more than at Tesco).

The biggest increase in price in recent months has been in Sainsbury’s, where customers would have to spend 9% more than they did at the start of the academic year (September 2023) for the same packed lunch.

Implications for children missing out on Free School Meals 

There are 900,000 children living in poverty across England who do not currently qualify for the Government’s Free School Meals scheme due to the stringent criteria set by national government.

Outside of London, only children from households with earnings below £7,400 a year (after tax, before benefits) are eligible; a threshold that has not increased since 2018.

Many parents who can't afford to pay for school lunches opt for packed lunches because they cost less. This research shows unhealthy packed lunches offer a considerable saving; healthy packed lunches do not.

The Food Foundation is calling for Government to extend Free School Meals so that the most deprived children are not priced out of a hot, nutritious lunch with their peers.

In the meantime, The Food Foundation is calling on retailers to:

• Offer a lunchbox meal deal on items that are compliant with School Food Standards so parents can easily buy items to make up a week of healthy lunch boxes. This could include wholegrain or 50:50 wheat products such as bread, rolls and wraps; snackable fruit and veg such as apples and carrots; sandwich fillings such as spreads and cheese; and single portion unsweetened yogurt pots.

For more detailed analysis looking at how retailers have supported low income households through the cost of living crisis, the Food Foundation have also today published a new summary briefing, available to read here.

Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Food Foundation, said: “The Government’s stringent eligibility criteria to qualify for Free School Meals is leaving hundreds of thousands of children who are living in poverty but missing out on them at risk of malnutrition.

"Children from families with incomes not low enough to qualify for a Free School Meal and yet unable to afford lunch from the school canteen are left reliant on unhealthy packed lunches.

"No one should be priced out of be able to provide healthy food for their children and retailers need to do more to support families to afford the food they need."

NOTE TO EDITORS

Please contact: Juliet Grant on 07929075489 or email juliet.grant@foodfoundation.org.uk

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Food Foundation

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THE KIDS FOOD GUARANTEE

The Kid’s Food Guarantee is a set of actions which we think supermarkets should have in place as a minimum if we are to effectively tackle rising levels of food insecurity. These are actions that citizens have told us they are eager to see, and which align with existing areas of focus for food retailers.

ABOUT THE FOOD FOUNDATION
The Food Foundation is a charity working to influence food policy and business practice, shaping a sustainable food system which makes healthy diets affordable and accessible for all. We work in partnership with researchers, campaigners, community bodies, industry, investors, government and citizens to galvanise the UK’s diverse agents of change, using surprising and inventive ideas to drive fundamental shifts in our food system. These efforts are based on the continual re-evaluation of opportunities for action, building and synthesising strong evidence, convening powerful coalitions, harnessing citizens’ voices and delivering impactful communications.        
Registered Charity Number 1187611.

ABOUT QUESTIONMARK

For this Guarantee area The Food Foundation worked with Questionmark Foundation, an international non-profit think tank working for a healthy, sustainable, just and animal friendly food system.

METHOD

• These food items have been taken as indicative items that can form part of a healthy packed lunch and are not an exhaustive list. We have chosen these items to gain a balance between a nutritious lunch and one which children may realistically eat as it’s important for low income families to provide food that their children will not reject so it doesn’t go to waste. Portion sizes would need to vary depending on the child’s age but *this lunch is likely suitable for an older child, or a younger child including snacks eaten over the course of the school day. 
• The food items in the less healthy lunch have been chosen as products which might be reasonably substituted based on type and volume of food. These are again foods which children might realistically consume as part of a packed lunch. 
• The closest comparable product between retailers was selected.  
• We have looked at the cost of the lunch across the five retailers with the biggest share of the market. 
• Products were available online from retailers websites on 2nd May.  
• Multibuys were not included, single promotions were included.  
• The price given is for the proportion of the product needed for the portion sizes given, not the full cost of the item.  
• The full list of products analysed from each retailer is available here