Tips to reduce waste in your children's lunchbox

• Offer your kids a filling breakfast at home. That way, you won’t feel the need to overpack their lunchbox. Include smaller portions of multiple food options. This will help to ensure there is something the kids will want to eat and there is less of foods they don’t want to eat.

• Involve kids in what you put in their lunchboxes, even from kindy. Kids love to be given autonomy; let them choose from some options.

• Make sure there are foods in the lunchbox that you know they enjoy. Use mealtimes at home to introduce new foods, and only make them lunchbox options after you know your kids enjoy them. View this tutorial for a discussion about introducing new foods and fussy eating, or contact us for advice.

• Have a list of eco-friendly lunchbox foods that you can quickly refer to, and rotate through these options, so your kids don’t get bored.

• Offer leftover food from their lunchbox when they get home from school (if it’s still safe to eat and they are foods they enjoy).

• Talk to your kids or their teachers if they are regularly coming home with full lunchboxes. It might not be that they don’t like the food, they may simply want to play, or they may have other issues at lunchtime that your teachers can support you with.

Tips to keep food safe in your child’s lunchbox

Are you worried about whether you need to include ice-packs in your kid's lunch bag?

Kids lunchboxes tend to get hot, which means food can easily go off. Safe temperatures are below 5 °C or above 60 °C. It might be tempting to go for packaged temperature-stable lunchbox options, such as chips, but there are ways to ensure food safety.

Food safety tips:

• Ensure safe food preparation at home
  • Wash and dry your hands
  • Ensure the lunchbox is clean and dry, and in good condition
  • Wash fruits and vegetables
  • Cut foods on a clean, dry chopping board
  • Keep food in the fridge until you are about to leave home.
• Use an insulated lunch bag with a frozen drink or ice block to keep food cool.
• Pack heated foods in a thermos to keep them warm.
• Encourage kids to eat foods that are less temperature stable at recess.

Did you know reducing food waste can also improve your gut health? Explore  Dr Amelia Harray's nutrition programs to find out more.