In order to improve the quality of food provided in secondary schools, food-based standards (FBS) and nutrient-based standards (NBS) were introduced in 2007 and 2009, respectively (1) . The standards do not apply to packed lunches but schools are encouraged to have a packed lunch policy (2) . Research in primary schools comparing the nutrient intakes of pupils who consume either a school lunch or a packed lunch has shown that, on average, pupils who consume a school lunch typically have a more

more »

... avourable intake of key nutrients (3) , to date no similar comparison has been carried out in secondary schools. In 2008, the School Food Trust studied the effect in secondary schools of improving school food and the meal experience on pupil's postprandial behaviour in the classroom (4) . Ethical approval was obtained from Kings College London Research Ethics Committee. Lunchtime food and drink choices of pupils consuming either a school lunch or a packed lunch were recorded at eleven secondary schools. Portion sizes were either weighed or estimated by weighing duplicate portions of foods provided at the schools. Leftovers were weighed to calculate the amount of each food eaten by each child. Baseline data from this study were used to compare mean energy and nutrient intakes from school lunches and packed lunches.