PARENTS HAVE been urged to rethink how they fill their children’s lunchboxes from an environmental point of view.
The Stop Food Waste programme run by the Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging parents to plan their children’s lunches so they can avoid throwing out unwanted and uneaten food.
As the new school term gets under way, Odile Le Bolloch, spokeswoman for Stop Food Waste, said throwing away uneaten food was an unnecessary waste of money and could be avoided.
“Looking at leftover lunches is a great way to get information about your children’s lunch preferences.”
She said parents should let children help them to plan their lunches.
“Ask children how much time they have to eat their lunch so as to avoid half-eaten sandwiches that children leave behind in favour of time in the playground,” she said. “Small-sized fruit are a great idea as they cut back on waste and pose less of a challenge to small children – and take less time to eat.”
Ms Le Bolloch also suggested reusing dinner leftovers for lunches the next day.
She said using reusable drink containers, rather than disposable cartons, also reduced waste.
“Finally, before offering your child an after-school snack, check to see if they have finished their lunch,” she said.
