Back to school lunchbox snacks fail the healthy test

28/01/2020

Parents are embarking on another year of lunchbox prep as kids return to school this week, and with new brands popping up on supermarket shelves and companies finding new ways to conceal the nutritional value of their products, choosing a healthy snack can be daunting.

LiveLighter scoured supermarket shelves to find the salty snacks to avoid and the healthier options for growing kids.

The survey considered the sodium content of a range of popular snacks available in supermarkets and found that the saltiest offenders were ‘fake cheese’ flavoured crisps, crackers and dippers with the highest sodium content per 100g among all the products.

In particular, LiveLighter is urging parents to steer clear of Cheezels (1200mg per 100g), Woolworths Crispbread & Cheese Cheddar Dip (1100mg per 100g) and Coles Cheese Spread & Crispbread Snacks (1100mg per 100g). Each of these products contain nearly a third of the recommended daily sodium intake for 9-13 year-olds.

9-13 year olds should have no more than 400-800mg of sodium per day. When choosing a healthier snack the best choice is to opt for products with less than with less than 120mg per 100g.

Other salty snacks include Woolworths Select Double Choc Chip muffin and Coles banana bread slice with 607mg of sodium per serve and 393mg of sodium per serve respectively.

The large serving size of the choc chip muffins mean that not only are these packed with sugar and saturated fat, the sodium content makes up just two thirds of the recommended daily intake for 9-13 year olds. Parents should keep an eye on the portion sizes as the sodium content in one snack can quickly add up.

LiveLighter Campaign Manager Alison McAleese urged parents to avoid the saltier varieties and highly processed options and opt for whole foods where possible.

“Pester power when children are surrounded by colourful and enticing marketing can make it hard for parents to navigate the supermarket shelves to find a healthy snack kids will enjoy.”

“Some of these snacks serve up nearly half the recommended sodium intake a child should eat in one day, not to mention the other processed ingredients. This much salt in a child’s diet puts them at risk of high blood pressure and can lead to chronic diseases in the long run.”

Aside from the processed ingredients in many of these snacks, the cost of some of these products compared to home-made snacks is far higher.

Ms McAleese suggests packing a lunchbox with food from each of the five food groups is an easy way to ensure kids get all the energy and nutrients they need.

“Preparing a healthy lunchbox for your child doesn’t have to be painful. Yoghurt, fruit or dips with crackers or veggie sticks make a great and healthy snack that kids will enjoy.”

LiveLighter for Families has a range of healthy recipes and tips for keeping the unhealthy snacks out of kids’ lunchboxes.

LiveLighter’s tips for packing healthy snacks:

  • Pack home-made school lunches and snacks – a little bit of time and planning will ensure your kids’ are enjoying affordable, tasty and healthy snacks.
  • The five core food groups tend to be located around the outside of the supermarket, more processed foods tend to be up theaisles. Use the cost per kilo to compare products and look at the high and low shelves for cheaper products.
  • Check out LiveLighter’s homemade snack recipes for kids.
  • Check how much salt is in packaged food, check the sodium in the nutrition information panel. Look at the per 100 g column and choose products with lower sodium (those with less than 120mg per 100g).
  • Look for hidden salt offenders in the ingredient list such as garlic/onion/celery salt, meat/yeast extract, rock/sea salt, sodium and stock.

Top 10 saltiest snacks

Product

Serving size (g)

Product size (g)

Sodium content per serve (mg)

Sodium content per 100g (mg)

% of sodium recommendation per serve (4-8 y.o)

% of sodium recommendation per serve (9-13 y.o)

Woolworths Select Double Choc Chip Muffin 4pk

105 (1 muffin)

420

607

578

101

76

Coles Banana Bread Slice

100

100

393

393

65.5

50

Coles Double Chocolate Muffins 4 Pack

120

480

365

304

60

46

Woolworths Banana Bread Slice

100

100

299

299

49

37

Cheezels Multipack 6pk

19

114

288

1200

48

36

Woolworths Crispbread & Cheese Cheddar Dip 12 pack

25

300

275

1100

45

34

Coles Cheese Spread & Crispbread Snacks 12 Pack

25

300

275

1100

45

34

Uncle Tobys Le Snak Tasty Cheese Dip & Crackers 6 pack

22

132

195

875

32.5

20

Twisties – cheese flavour, 6 pack

19

114

160

842

26

20

Smith's Chips Multipack Salt & Vinegar 6 pack

19

114

151