Alarming data: The gaps in the lunchboxes of Israeli children

Ahead of the start of the school year, as hundreds of thousands of students return to their desks, the lunchboxes they open at ten o'clock are expected to reveal a deep and disturbing economic abyss.

The findings of a new and comprehensive survey, conducted in mid-August by the "Midgam" institute led by Mano Geva for the national food rescue organization "Leket Israel", reveal a difficult situation of social and economic gaps that begin in children's school bags and follow them into the classroom.

The survey, which covered a representative sample of 501 parents of children in grades 1 to 6, reveals that for many families in Israel, healthy nutrition has become a luxury that is out of reach. According to the data, almost half of the parents whose income is below average were forced in the last year to give up at least one item from their child's mid-morning snack due to its price.

This is a significant gap compared to parents whose income is above average, a group where the rate of giving up stands at less than one-fifth. The data point to a painful gap between aspirations and reality: although most parents testified that it is important for them to send their children with a healthy snack, in practice more than a third of them admit that their economic situation dictates their food choices.

Giving up on health in the shadow of the emergency routine

When the economic situation is tight, fruits are often the first to pay the price. One in five parents was forced in the last year to give up including fruits in their children's lunchbox due to their cost. Further concessions were recorded among parents who were forced to give up dairy products, cheeses, vegetables, and essential protein sources such as tuna and eggs.

To the deep economic crisis is added the complex security reality of the war, which takes its toll on eating habits. A significant percentage of parents reported a change in eating habits during periods of tension, with the vast majority reporting a significant increase in the consumption of snacks and sweets, alongside a decrease in regular eating and the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The emergency reality hits families affected economically much harder, with more than half of them reporting a change for the worse in their children's eating habits, compared to only a third among families not affected economically.

Against the backdrop of these grim data, parents point to schools as a significant factor that can help in reducing these gaps. About half of the parents believe that education for healthy nutrition within the school framework can help them maintain a balanced diet for their children, and many noted that accessibility to fruits and vegetables in the educational institution is a necessary means, a need that is particularly prominent among parents in the southern region of the country.

To deal with the distress, the "Leket Israel" organization works to reduce the gaps through various programs, including the "Leket Briut" program which operates in schools and combines the distribution of food packages with nutritional education. Smadar Hod Ovadia, VP of Nutrition and Quality at the organization, clarified that while parents want to provide their children with healthy nutrition, not everyone has the ability to do so.

"Healthy nutrition is not just a matter of knowledge and choice, but also of accessibility. At Leket Israel, we work to connect the two – to rescue high-quality food and make it accessible to those who need it, alongside promoting knowledge and tools for healthy nutrition."