Q. Our school has banned sweets and biscuits from lunchboxes. Is this allowed? It seems very heavy-handed to me.

Dr Pat's answer:
Your school probably has a healthy eating policy and as such is allowed to restrict what parents put in their children's lunchboxes.

It's probably more useful not to think of this as a measure intended to upset well-meaning parents. Most parents know how to put together a well-balanced lunchbox, but there will always be those who don't and it's most likely with those families in mind that the school has brought in this rule. By applying it as a blanket ban across the school, no child need feel singled out.

There are also a number of issues relating to how lunchboxes are consumed at school, in comparison to how children eat at home. At school there aren't enough staff to ensure that every child eats the food they're given. Children are also under pressure to eat quickly and then join in the fun in the playground. If there are sweets, crisps and biscuits in the lunchbox it's often easier and quicker to eat these rather than sandwiches, wraps or salads.

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