Lunchbox Report Card: Parents and Kids Say It's Time to Build a Better Lunchbox™

BERKELEY, Calif., July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In the second Rock the Lunchbox Survey of more than 2,000 kids and parents, 72 percent of kids say it's "cool" to have healthy food in their lunchboxes². The survey also showed that snack swapping is common - 64 percent of kids say they regularly trade items from their lunch with friends. To help parents find "better for you" ideas that kids are excited to eat, five leading natural and organic brands have created Rock the Lunchbox – an online library with nearly 300 lunchbox ideas and tips from parents and bloggers.

The survey, conducted by Annie's®, Applegate, HONEST® Kids, Organic Valley® and Rudi's Organic Bakery® also found that:

• "Homemade Gets High Fives": 61 percent of kids prefer bringing lunch from home versus buying lunch at school
• "It's a Labor of Love": 51 percent of kids say it's important that their parent makes them lunch to bring to school
• "Snack Swapping Popular": 64 percent of kids trade items from their lunch with friends.  And, snacks are the most coveted item in kids' packed lunches; 54 percent say they trade their snack for a different snack.
• "What's New?": 53 percent of kids say the items in their lunch are the same every day
• "Daily Dilemmas": 51 percent of parents say they struggle with variety and coming up with new ideas to make lunch healthy and delicious
• "Parents Prefer to Pack": 83 percent of parents say that it's important to prepare their children's lunch for school; 95 percent say it's important to provide healthy options in their children's lunches

"As a mom of two, I know parents want kids to eat a healthy and delicious lunch, but coming up with new and appealing ideas is a continuous struggle," says Amelia Winslow, a nutritionist, food expert, and blogger. "Rock the Lunchbox offers so many creative inspirations and resources for packing a better lunch that parents will feel good about and kids will actually eat."

Rock the Lunchbox is in its second year of helping parents give kids what they want at lunchtime - more balanced, delicious options and variety. The website offers ideas for kids of all ages and dietary preferences, including:

• Gluten free, nut free and vegetarian choices
• Informative, short video clips by parents that explain how to keep menus creative, packing time short, and involve the kids
• Ideas for staying connected to children during the day via notes and lunchbox messages
• Tips for packing a healthy lunch for picky eaters or kids with allergies
• Time-saving tips to turn simple into healthy and delicious

For more information, please visit www.rockthelunchbox.com, and follow the conversation on Twitter with #rockthelunchbox.

Survey Methodology

Online surveys were conducted via SurveyMonkey in March 2014; 1,106 kids ages 5-18 and 1,046 parents with children under the age of 18 participated in the separate polls.

About Annie's

About Honest Tea

About Applegate

About Organic Valley

About Rudi's 

¹61% (38.4 agree +22.75 agree completely) "I try to serve foods that are minimally processed, natural or organic"

²Actual survey question (did not define healthy term): "Is it 'cool' to have healthy food in your lunchbox?"

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SOURCE Annie's