As a recent study reveals that only one per cent of children’s packed lunches meet nutritional standards, national heart charity, Heart Research UK asks who is to blame for the poor eating habits of our children?

IS it the parents, the schools or the food manufacturers? There is no clear answer; it seems it is a combination of lack of education, school policies, perceived affordability and misleading advertising.

The charity, which funds pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease, urges the issue to be addressed.

Denise Armstrong, lifestyle manager at Heart Research UK, said: “Getting into unhealthy eating habits at a young age can lead to the development of heart disease later in life.

“Helping families understand the importance of a nutritionally-balanced packed lunch for their children is a good starting point.

“However, claims such as ‘high in calcium’ on products that are high in fat and salt do not help and there is also a perception that healthy foods are expensive. This is not necessarily the case and healthy packed lunches can be achieved very cost effectively.

“Many schools have already successfully introduced a healthy lunch box policy and this works well if the guidelines are clear and can also help parents to plan ahead and give them ideas for what to pack.”

It can be quite a challenge to make a healthy packed lunch that your child will like, day after day, but applying a few simple rules and using a variety of food will help to ensure that lunch boxes come home empty and the contents have been enjoyed.

School meals have to meet very strict nutritional standards and these days are not only tasty, but also save you the task of making it up every day.

If you do choose to send them with a packed lunch, challenge yourself to meet the standards and provide them with a healthy meal.

The most important thing to remember is that around a third of their diet should be fruit and veg, and another third from starchy foods, such as bread, potatoes, pasta and rice, while the rest can be a variety of low fat dairy foods and protein foods.

Try the following tips for a healthy packed lunch.

l Try pots of pasta or rice dishes as an alternative to sandwiches and add chopped vegetables, sweetcorn and chicken or tuna.

l Use different types of bread such as bagels, baguettes and pitta and choose wholemeal or half and half varieties. You could even make two-tone sandwiches.

l Sticks of chopped carrot, celery, cucumber or peppers are colourful and crunchy, while cherry or baby plum tomatoes are lovely and juicy. So just pop them into a small tub or sandwich bag.

l Apple and bananas are easy to eat or you could try a tropical fruit salad or tub of grapes. Aim for lots of colour to increase the range of vitamins and minerals.

l Choose low fat dairy products and watch out for the sugar and salt content.

l Invest in a range of different sized plastic boxes with good lids for keeping individual portions of chopped fruit or veg fresh and crunchy.

l Sugar free squash or fruit juice are far better than fizzy drinks and water is provided in all schools.

l Avoid sweets, crisps and other salty snacks and limit cakes and chocolate snacks.

For more advice about healthy living, call Heart Research UK on 0113 297 6206.