Table 1.
Mean energy and nutrient content of school lunches served for 3–4-year-old children (all schools, n 9). Compared with the nutrient framework for lunches in early years settings
| Nutrient | Nutrient framework for lunches in early years settings(14) | Mean energy/nutrient content (all schools, n 9) | Meets (✓)/does not meet (✗) nutrient framework | Number of schools meeting nutrient framework (n 9) | Range of mean energy/nutrient content across all schools (n 9) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (kJ) | ∼ 1542† | 1881 | ✗ | 0 | 1371–2366 |
| kcal | ∼ 369 | 450 | ✗ | 0 | 328–566 |
| Fat (g) | ∼ 14·4† | 15·5 | ✗ | 2 | 9·0–21·0 |
| Saturated fat (g)* | N/A | 5·8 | – | – | 3·1–8·3 |
| Total carbohydrate (g) | ∼ 49·2† | 60·6 | ✗ | 1 | 44·8–75·2 |
| Dietary fibre (g) | ≥ 4·5 | 6·7 | ✓ | 9 | 5·2–8·8 |
| Free sugars (g) | ≤ 4·9 | 10·5 | ✗ | 0 | 5·6–15·6 |
| Protein (g) | ≥ 5·1 | 16·8 | ✓ | 9 | 13·6–20·0 |
| Fe (mg) | ≥ 2·3 | 2·4 | ✓ | 7 | 1·9–2·8 |
| Zn (mg) | ≥ 1·7 | 2·0 | ✓ | 8 | 1·6–2·7 |
| Ca (mg) | ≥ 120 | 202 | ✓ | 9 | 170–240 |
| Vitamin A (µg) | ≥ 136 | 304 | ✓ | 8 | 111–486 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | ≥ 9 | 19 | ✓ | 9 | 10–24 |
| Na (mg) | ≤ 300 | 424 | ✗ | 0 | 338–538 |
| % of energy from | DRV | ||||
| Carbohydrate | ∼ 50 | 51 | – | – | 47–55 |
| Free sugars | ≤ 5 | 9 | – | – | 6–13 |
| Fat | ∼ 35 | 31 | – | – | 24–33 |
| Saturated fat | ≤ 10 | 11 | – | – | 9–13 |
| Protein | N/A | 15 | – | – | 14–18 |
kJ, kilojoule; Kcal, kilocalorie; g, gram; N/A, not applicable; mg, milligram; µg, microgram; DRV, dietary reference value.
Saturated fat is not included in the nutrient framework underpinning voluntary food and drink guidelines for early years settings but has been included in the analysis for completeness as recommendations apply from 5 years and saturated fat is included in the nutrient framework underpinning school food standards.
Quantities of energy, fat and total carbohydrate are stated in the nutrient framework as ‘approximately’ 369 kcal, 14·4 g and 49·2 g, respectively. Quantities within 5 % of the stated amount have been classed as meeting the nutrient framework (351–387 kcal, 13·7–15·1 g fat and 46·7–51·7 g carbohydrate).