Although some children will be quick to point out which foods are healthy ones to their parents, not all children have reacted so positively to the recent changes in school lunches. At least, they haven't in the UK. The BBC conducted a survey of secondary schools (middle and high schools) and found that at 60% of them, there had been a drop in the number of students that were opting to buy the school-provided lunch since the switch to a healthier menu. Only 10% of schools had an increase in the number of students taking lunch since the change.

It's too bad that there isn't any US data on this phenomenon after so many schools and school districts have placed restrictions on what types of food are appropriate for kids to have access to during the day, but it seems likely that the problem would be a similar one, especially with older kids who can easily leave campus or go out after school to get the fries and pizzas that they have always had access to at school until now.

The problem is one that will gradually go away over time, as the kids who were used to the "old way" of doing things graduate and the number of students who think that they are entitled to something greasy and unhealthy will decrease compared to he number of children who might actually look forward to a healthier lunch.

What would you do if your child were punished because you did not pack a lunch that met the schools' guidelines?

In Kent, England, a 10-year old boy was made to leave the lunchroom and eat outside under supervision because his lunch contained "one more snack than allowed". At Lunsford Primary School, a lunch is only permitted to contain two snacks (the type and quantity of other food items was not specified) and young Ryan Stupples's lunch had cheese biscuits, a cake and a fromage frais yogurt. We can assume that the school felt that the contents of Ryan's lunch would have a negative impact on the eating habits of the other children, or else they would not have sent him outside to eat. "Ryan said he...felt upset and frightened and feared he was 'going to be suspended'."

The school defended the decision to remove the child from the lunchroom, stating that they had given the father a warning about packing appropriate lunches.

With all the hype about making sure kids' lunches are healthy, perhaps the best hing to do is send your kid to school with something healthy you've made at home.

But a sandwich in a brown paper bag is boring! These photo lunch boxes from Ogg Studio will make "taking lunch" a lot more fun. You choose any digital photo, send it in to Ogg Studio, and within a week, Ogg will send you a classic metal lunchbox that features your photo on it. Imagine your kid carrying a Superhero lunchbox, where the Superhero is...himself! Each lunchbox costs $35, and for an additional $10, you can add a second photo to the other side.

Jamie Oliver is really passionate about making sure that kids get healthy food. Really passionate. He has even, in recent weeks, been known to call parents who feed their kids junk foods a few less-than-complimentary names. As a result of his very bluntly voiced opinions, his popularity is on something of a yo-yo, as people are alternately pleased and offended by his level of concern. One of his shows, Jamie's School Dinners, is about to go into its second season in the UK and its first in Australia, though there doesn't seem to be a scheduled air date in the US in the very near future. The show was, and still is, intended to reveal how inadequate school-prepared meals are, in terms to quality and nutrition.

With the popularity of Super Size Me, Fast Food Nation and Chew On This, the show appeals to anyone who is interested in health, nutrition and what kids are eating. It's probably only a matter of time before the show makes it into the US, too. If you haven't seen it yet, and want to get a feel for the program's content, take a look at the video clip after the jump, which features Jamie showing some kids what exactly goes into those salty little bits of breaded and fried processed meat: chicken nuggets.

Must a sandwich be a construction of two slices of bread and some sort of savory filling? No. We have seen scores of sandwiches of all kinds, including dessert sandwiches, and are bound to see many more for our upcoming Sandwich Day, but none, as of yet, have been as inventive as these are. These sandwiches almost defy words with their fun and creative constructions, made with a variety of lunch meats, vegetables and cheeses, supported with bread and pretzel sticks. The downside, of course, of something like this is that you might be reluctant to eat them once you've put them together, no matter how tasty they look.

More pics after the jump.

[via Neatorama and Cool Hunting]

It is probably not surprising to hear that kids often use money they are given to purchase school lunches to buy junk food, either on campus or after school. What is surprising is the number of students who do it. Researchers in the UK found that more than 2 million students, about 25% of all students from 4 to 16, skip lunch and buy junk foods with the money, and roughly 1 million students in the same age range "fib" about the amount of fruits and vegetables that they eat.

If there was ever a good reason to take the time to pack a lunch at home for kids to take to school, and to make sure kids are eating healthy at least while they are at home, this is it. Kids can still have cookies, chips and candy sometimes, but the report indicated that "some [students] even cheat by throwing away oranges and bananas in their lunchboxes but bringing home the peel." Kids should also to learn to eat - and appreciate - the foods that are good for them to develop healthy eating habits.

As the old adage goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. The same sentiment holds true for kids, who can be quite stubborn where food is concerned. At home, parents can monitor what their child is - and is not - eating to make sure they learn to make healthy choices. Now that the school year has started, however, ensuring that the kids get a healthy lunch can be harder.

One thing you can do is, as we have mentioned before, get your child involved in preparing the lunch. S/he can pick out the fruits and snacks that look the tastiest from the healthy foods you have available (aiming for fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein most of the time, of course). If it is hard to get your child going in the morning, however, you might not have time for this bonding activity. So, other tips include:

Lunch is often overlooked by busy, working adults, but school-age kids have time in their day set aside to make sure they eat. Sometimes they might buy lunch, but the best lunch is always going to be a homemade one. Making lunches day in and day out can be challenging, especially if you don't want to make the exact same thing over and over again. Most cookbooks are not set up to offer recipes that would be appropriate for school lunches, though they have plenty of lunch recipes. These books are, on the other hand, geared only towards brown bag lunches are a great way to get some ideas - for your own lunches, as well as for kids.

Brown Bag Lunch Cookbook is packed with healthy recipes that can be prepared in advance with easy to find ingredients and minimal fuss. It's as good for kids as it is for working adults.

Brown Bag Success has lots of menus to help you plan and creative ideas to put twists onto old favorites to make them more appealing and add some variety to lunch.

School starts today for most kids around the country (it's already started already for many kids), and The National School Lunch Program turns 60, part of the National School Lunch Act signed by President Truman in 1946. Some people love school lunch, some people don't, but I think everyone has their favorite foods. Here are mine.

1. Pizza. I'll eat just about any kind of pizza (except Domino's regular pizza...ugh...love the deep dish though), and this square, greasy slab of tomato and cheese was actually really good. And just think kids, you're in school, but you're still eating pizza!

There's still a little time left before kids have to head off to school, which means that you might still be packing a lunch. Without debating whether or not kids should be packing their own lunch - which depends entirely on whether they realize the value of having a meal that is more than Pringles and chocolate chip cookies - MSN has a list of foods that you might want to tuck into that brown paper bag on a school day. Most are convenience foods, but they are convenience foods that are healthy choices. Their suggestions include:

• Propel Calcium, for a healthy dose of calcium that doesn't need to be refrigerated
• Yves Veggie Deli Slices, which are soy-based (meatless) and low in fat and come in many varieties for sandwiches
• Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread
• 100 calorie packs of pretzels, crackers, chips and cookies

Don't forget to include a piece of fruit or some raw veggies and dip (hummus or black bean, which doesn't need to be refrigerated) so the kids get something fresh in their lunch, too. In fact, why not include some in your own lunch box?

We all know that a certain fast food restaurant carries a line of salads in shakers. The premise is that you fill the container with all your salad ingredients, pour in a separate container of dressing, close the lid and shake. After a minute, you salad is completely dressed and ready to eat out of the same container.

The Salad Blaster is a reusable, dishwasher safe way to take advantage of this technique in your own home - or better yet, in your lunch at school or at the office. The Blaster has a reservoir in the lid that holds the dressing, while the base contains all your salad fixings. Simply press the top bottom to dispense the dressing into the salad, shake and your lunch is ready to eat, though you will have to provide your own fork.

Plastic bags are not going to be the most exciting part of your child's school lunch, no matter how you look at it. The bags from Mobi are a little more interesting, however. They all feature fun designs, from cupcakes to stars, that will brighten up a bag lunch and probably make whatever food is packed inside seem more fun. After all, who could resist a bag with a cupcake on it, even if it is filled with baby carrots instead of actual cupcakes? Sandwich and gallon-sized bags are available, all with a traditional zip top to keep the food secure.

Of course, if you want to get these are use them for your own lunch, we fully support that decision - just don't let your coworkers see them, or they may get jealous. They're available at Mobi and at Target.

Taking school lunch reform what might be a bit too far, preschool teachers in New South Wales, Australia have begun to implement lunchbox inspections. The teachers have banned foods including chocolates, candies, cakes and fruit rollups, taking them away from the children and sending the items home uneaten if they are found. The ban on foods deemed to be unhealthy extends to birthday cakes as well, where a plain, homemade vanilla cupcake - no icing or ice cream - is the most appropriate treat.

One teacher said "It is just as much about educating parents as it is the children." Even though the teachers say that this is a good way to encourage healthy eating habits, it is sending a message to the parents to prepare the lunches, not the children who receive them.

It is noted by some experts that the teachers are not following an official direction to inspect lunches, but that they have taken it upon themselves. How long it will continue before parents protest - or conform - remains to be seen.

I recently found a site that deserves a mention if only for its name: My Lunch Can Beat Up Your Lunch! A self-described "ode to bento lunches," the site has photos, descriptions and recipes for roughly 100 different compartmentalized, on-the-go meals. The recipes are very straightforward and many, but not all, have Asian influences. There's yakitori and gyoza, but also chicken salad sandwiches and fried plantains. All in all, good for inspiration if you're looking to mix up what you pack for lunch every day.