Parent-made lunches not making the grade, says U of S researcher

One expert at the University of Saskatchewan thinks there is a very important lesson that needs to be added to the curriculum at schools in Saskatoon.

I'm arguing for...a universal meal program.- Rachel Engler-Stringer 

"Let's teach kids what healthy eating looks like," said Rachel Engler-Stringer in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Engler-Stringer is an associate professor in Community Health and Epidemiology. She has been studying the quality of lunches parents are packing for their children, a quest that began after scanning academic and media reports about the quality of school lunches in other parts of the world.

"I thought…why don't we do some research right here in Saskatoon?"

Study not about shaming parents 

Engler-Stringer took random samples from some 850 students in Saskatoon and the surrounding rural areas to find out exactly what is in those lunch kits. The results are preliminary, and more work is needed to draw conclusions, she said, but there are themes emerging.   

"The food that kids brought from home overall was less healthy than the food in the meal programs," she said, adding that "kids in the rural areas surrounding Saskatoon have slightly healthier food than the kids in the urban areas."

Engler-Stringer has her own theory about the results, suggesting that parents who live in the city have easier access to things like sugary granola bars, individual yogurts and other treats that are made specifically for children's lunches.

"This isn't about shaming parents," she said. "We are not doing research like this to say, 'Oh, parents, you need to be doing a better job,' because I think the vast majority of parents are doing the best job that they possibly can. We live such busy lives, and we have so many things going on."

Call for universal meal program 

Engler-Stringer is calling for universal school meal programs for all students. She suggested that finicky children who turn up their noses at healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables might very well change their habits when they see their classmates enjoying nutritious meals.

"I think peer pressure is really helpful and that is why I am arguing for and I'm trying to get research on to actually provide evidence for, more Canadian evidence, for a universal meal program."