The EPA’s Stop Food Waste Programme is encouraging all parents to do their homework when getting their children ready for back to school. They are calling on parents to start the school year with a clean slate and rethink how to plan and prepare their children’s lunches.
The back to school period represents a very expensive time of the year for families, with research showing the average cost for a child entering primary school now stands at Eur400. With parents keen to keep costs down and find value-for-money lunchbox options, it can be annoying when left over lunches arrive home at the bottom of school bags. Throwing away uneaten lunches is a waste of money but the Stop Food Waste programme has put together some tips for parents on how to avoid food waste when it comes to school lunches, and save money in the process.
“We all want to ensure that our children eat a healthy and filling lunch, but they are out of our control at school, so it’s important to keep an eye on what comes home in the child’s lunchbox. Throwing away uneaten food is an unnecessary waste of money and can be avoided. Looking at leftover lunches is a great way to get information about your children’s lunch preferences,” says Odile Le Bolloch, spokesperson for Stop Food Waste at the EPA.