Innovate Services reveals findings from Lunch Box Amnesty
26 January 2012
- Study group reveals only 7% of recorded packed lunches
comply with
food-based standards for school lunches –
Innovate Services Ltd, the innovative catering facilities
operator to the education sector, has today announced the findings from its
initial Lunch Box Amnesty study group into the contents of students’ lunch
boxes from a food health and safety perspective, in addition to reviewing the
nutritional aspects, and has identified some interesting trends.
In total, 120 year 7 and 8 students from four secondary
schools participated in the study group, providing a sample of 70 packed
lunches to analyse from a nutritional standpoint. Of these, 49 lunch box
samples were subsequently tested from a food safety and hygiene perspective and
80 students also completed written questionnaires providing their personal
views regarding lunch box contents.
Public health nutritionist, Robert Hobson carried out the
analysis on the food types and identified that only 7% of the packed lunches
recorded complied with the food-based standards for school lunches*1. In addition, just under a quarter (24%)
achieved the food-based standard of a minimum two portions of fruit and
vegetables. While the majority (77%) contained a type of food or drink that is
not permitted in accordance with the food-based standards for school lunches;
65% of these contained two of more restricted products.
The most popular non-permitted snacks were crisps, which
were recorded in 42% of packed lunches.
On the plus side, 56% of lunch boxes did contain at least one piece of
fruit and therefore the recorded levels of vitamin C were well above the
nutritional standard.
From a food hygiene perspective, Professor Lisa Ackerley, one of the UK’s leading
food safety experts and contributor to BBC’s Watchdog and Rogue Restaurants
programmes, analysed 49 food samples taken from the study group sessions and
identified that of those tested, 41% were either borderline or unsatisfactory
in terms of the presences of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms. Thirteen
samples tested positive for Enterbacteriaceae, which is a group of bacteria
used to assess the general hygiene status of a food product and includes
species that originate from the intestinal tract of animals and humans, as well
as plants and the environment. E.coli
was also found in one sample and two samples were positive for Staphylococcus aureus,
an organism that is indicative of poor personal hygiene.
To reduce the risk of pathogenic bacterial growth or
contamination in lunch boxes, care must be taken when preparing lunches to
avoid contaminating the food, hands are washed before preparing any foods and
lunch boxes are cleaned each day. Over
90% of students confirmed that their lunch box is stored in their schools bags,
which have also been used to carry books or sports kits that could easily
contaminate the lunch box’ external surfaces, which can then be transferred
onto the student’s hands and subsequently the contents of the packed lunches.
Robert Hobson RPHNutr MSc said; “The audit we have produced
shows that a majority of the lunch boxes analysed failed to meet the food and nutrient-based
standard for school lunches and this implies that food brought from home was
less healthy than the food provided by the school canteen, whose menu is
required to meet such standards. It is
tricky for parents to not only take into consideration the nutritional
standards when packing their child’s lunch each morning, but to offer
variety. This analysis highlights that
lunches offered in the school canteen can instead offer a far healthier
alternative.”
Professor Lisa Ackerley, Chartered Environmental Health
Practitioner, believes that we also need to look beyond just the nutritional
content of the lunch box to the microbiological safety of foods; “From the
initial findings it is clear that many lunch boxes are kept for several hours
at room temperature, potentially allowing food poisoning bacteria to grow. Although
the study only examined four schools, if the results of the study were
replicated at all of Innovate’s sites, this would equate to a significant
number of school children eating potentially unsafe food. Freshly prepared
school lunches could be healthier for an altogether different reason – they are
made by staff members who are trained in food safety, under hygienic
conditions.”
As part of the Lunch Box Amnesty study group, 80 students
were questioned as to whether they ever throw away any of the contents of their
lunch box. Just under 43% said they do and the main reasons stated (in order of
prominence) included not liking the food provided, no longer feeling hungry or
concern about whether the food is safe to eat based on the ‘use by date’ or its
smell.
Adds Derick Martin, co-founder and CEO of Innovate Services
said, “The Lunch Box Amnesty has been a really interesting exercise into the
health, safety and nutritional aspects of student’s packed lunches. From our sample, it is clear that producing a
lunch box that includes the right nutrients, that is not exposed to potentially
harmful bacteria and offers variety at an affordable price is a difficult
balance to achieve. At Innovate, we have launched an onsite packed lunch
option, which means students can chose a freshly made, temperature-controlled
lunch box. This not only means students benefit from a meal that is
refrigerated and meets the appropriate standards but students can pick the food
that they like, reducing potential food wastage as outlined in the
questionnaire findings.”
For further information regarding Innovate Services, visit
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