Table 3.
Energy and nutrient content of school lunches served for 3–4-year-old children (all schools, n 9). Comparison between different menu options
| Nutrient | Nutrient framework for lunches in early years settings(14) | Energy/nutrient content – main menu option (n 45) | Energy/nutrient content – vegetarian option (n 45) | Energy/nutrient content – jacket potato option (n 39) | Energy/nutrient content – sandwich option (n 32) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Median | Mean | Median | Mean | Median | Mean | Median | ||
| Energy (kJ) | ∼ 1542 | 1864 | 1835 | 1902 | 1797 | 1818 | 1818 | 1935 | 1772 |
| kcal | ∼ 369 | 446 | 439 | 455 | 430 | 435 | 435 | 463 | 424 |
| Fat (g) | ∼ 14·4 | 15·5 | 15·5 | 16·0 | 14·5 | 13·2 | 13·4 | 17·4 | 15·6 |
| Saturated fat (g) | N/A | 5·1 | 4·6 | 5.5 | 4·4 | 6·0 | 5·7 | 6·8 | 7·0 |
| Total carbohydrate (g) | ∼ 49·2 | 58·6 | 58·9 | 62·7 | 62·6 | 61·2 | 61·2 | 60·1 | 57·3 |
| Dietary fibre (g) | ≥ 4·5 | 6·2 | 6·0 | 7·6 | 7·5 | 8·2 | 7·7 | 4·6 | 4·6 |
| Free sugars (g) | ≤ 4·9 | 10·4 | 10·3 | 10·2 | 8·9 | 10·9 | 10·4 | 10·7 | 8·8 |
| Protein (g) | ≥ 5·1 | 18·2 | 17·9 | 15·0 | 13·8 | 17·5 | 17·7 | 16·3 | 15·5 |
| Fe (mg) | ≥ 2·3 | 2·2 | 2·1 | 2·7 | 2·4 | 2·5 | 2·5 | 2·0 | 2·0 |
| Zn (mg) | ≥ 1·7 | 2·0 | 1·9 | 2·2 | 2·0 | 2·1 | 2·0 | 1·8 | 1·8 |
| Ca (mg) | ≥ 120 | 153 | 146 | 198 | 190 | 214 | 187 | 264 | 271 |
| Vitamin A (µg) | ≥ 136 | 280 | 151 | 319 | 178 | 304 | 221 | 315 | 202 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | ≥ 9 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Na (mg) | ≤ 300 | 407 | 344 | 417 | 368 | 364 | 341 | 531 | 470 |
kJ, kilojoule; Kcal, kilocalorie; g, gram; N/A, not applicable; mg, milligram; µg, microgram.