The Real Food Lunchbox Project
School Lunches with NO Processed Food, for a Whole School, for a Whole Term.
Play the video above to learn all about the project.
[crowdfundstatus productid=’94,96,98,100,102,104,106,108′ target=’9900′ targetdate=’2017-09-19 9:00PM’]
Share this project:
Tweet
All funds contributed will be gratefully used by this campaign.
The campaign will end at 9pm on Tuesday 19th September 2017.
UPDATES | BACKGROUND | INITIAL RESULTS | ABOUT ME | WHY THIS PROJECT? | WHY WE NEED HELP | REWARDS | FUNDS | FAQ | SUPPORT THIS PROJECT
Do you want your kids to eat more fruit and vegetables?
So do we – and so do the thousands of parents we’ve met across Australia, plus countless more we’ve met online. You’re not alone. We all want our kids to eat more fruit and vegetables, and we want it to be normal. So here’s the exciting thing:
We think we’ve found the answer, and we want to conduct a whole-school study to prove our theory. But we need your help.
Read on to learn more about The Real Food Lunchbox Project’s background, outcomes so far, and how you can help bring it to life.
(Hint: By contributing to the project, and sharing it with friends!)
Background – The first study
Over the past year we’ve been running a small-scale study with Cambewarra Public school in NSW. The study was to see what happened when a whole class ate only real food snacks of fruits and vegetables, dips, and smoothies for recess and snacks – instead of processed packaged food.
To keep it simple and easy, the fruit and veggie snack/recess food was supplied by the school, with healthy main lunches provided by parents.
The study was supported by Cambewarra Public School Principal Susan Hilliar, and Teacher and Wellness Coordinator Michelle Haigh.
Initial results
This first study proved children concentrated better AND socialised better in class when they ate these foods. The study also showed that kids were far more open to trying and eating these foods when their peers were doing the same thing – even when their parents said they wouldn’t eat it!
Lastly – and perhaps most importantly – parents even noticed a positive change in eating behaviour at home too, with children eating more fruit and vegetables at dinner and on weekends.
The results summary:
- Better concentration in class
- Better behaviour and socialisation at school
- Children become more engaged in their food and how their bodies felt
- Children excited to try more fruit and veggies at home
Watch this short interview video, and hear directly from Susan Hilliar, Michelle Haigh, and some class parents about the first study, the decline of the lunchbox, and why this is such an exciting – and important – project.
We think we’re onto something that could dramatically improve the health of an entire generation of children.
Not to mention making dinner tables more peaceful all across the country, and making teachers’ jobs easier and more effective in classrooms everywhere!
Based on what we’ve already seen in our small study, we expect students in our whole-school study to show the same results:
- Better concentration in class
- Better behaviour and socialisation at school
- Children become more engaged in their food and how their bodies felt
- Children excited to try more fruit and veggies at home
In Term 4 this year, we plan to run this whole-school study to prove our theory. We intend to take the results of this whole-school study and publish them in a paper, which we will table with the Dept of Education and the Dept of Health.
About me & my family
I’m Bel from The Root Cause. I’m a Mum, a Health and Wellness Coach, and a Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Ambassador. Together with my family, I’ve been travelling Australia for almost two years on a mission to transform children’s health.
In that time, we’ve empowered over 15,000 people to make better food choices. We’ve visited over 70 schools, and seen first-hand that most kids are now having at least two packet foods in their lunchbox every day. And along the way, we’ve heard from so many parents telling us the struggles they’re having to get their kids to eat fruits and veggies.
Bel Smith in action teaching children at Gympie QLD about real food vs processed food.
Why is this such a big deal?
We all know that the healthiest food we can eat is fruits and vegetables. Yet, in Australia, only 5% of children are eating the recommended serves of fruit and vegetables each day*.
Everywhere we’ve travelled in Australia, we’ve met parents telling us about their daily struggles to get their kids to eat fruits and veggies.
On top of that, children’s health in Australia is in decline. More than 1 in 4 children are overweight or obese. We have increasing rates of chronic illness and disease. And more then ever before, children are eating more processed packaged food and less real food.
I think that this is a problem worth solving.
But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s Dr Charlotte Middleton – a qualified Integrative GP – to help explain things:
Why we need your help
We’re aiming for the most accurate results possible, which means we need to make it as easy as possible for all students to participate in the study.
That means preparing and providing all the real fruit and vegetable snacks / recess foods, so parents can simply focus on providing a healthy main lunch each day.
The school has already committed to purchasing all the food prep supplies – knives, chopping boards, re-usable serving containers, etc – and there is a rapidly-growing team of volunteers dedicated to helping with all food prep and logistics during the study.
But we need your help to cover the costs of fruit and veggies for the length of the study.
What’s in it for you?
Hope. The hope this project will prove that children will happily eat fruits and vegetables at school with their friends, then eat more fruits and vegetables at home too. The hope that this project produces the data showing children’s concentration, focus and behaviour improves when processed packaged food is replaced with real foods of fruits, vegetables, dips and smoothies.
Personal Rewards. We’ve created a wide range of rewards to say thank you for your contribution and support. We know these rewards are items which can help make it easier for you to get your own family to eat healthier. Enjoy!
We are giving our own time and resources to this project for free, because we believe in it so much. This is to ensure that the maximum amount of money goes towards this project. We are only deducting the GST component (legally required by the Australian Taxation Office), and the credit card merchant fees for our payment gateway provider. Beyond that, EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR goes to this project.
Please have a good read through the list below, and choose the reward that suits you best.
$10 contribution reward
You’ll get a copy of four beautiful printable charts to show you which fruit and vegetables are in-season for each season of the year plus a printable copy of our Transforming Children’s Health Manifesto poster. Along with that, your name will be listed on our website as a thankyou.
$25 contribution reward
You’ll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE rewards, plus a spectacular 6-pack of our best eBooks:
– Top 5 Tips for a Healthy Fun Lunchbox
– The Just Get Started Guide
– Jumpstart Your First Lunchbox Guide
– The Great School Holiday Snack Guide
– The Great After School Snack Guide
– Sandwich Filling Ideas
$50 contribution reward
You’ll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE rewards, plus a ticket to an Online performance of our amazing Mad Food Science Family Event. This is the workshop that has changed the lives of over 15,000 people on our Australian Tour to date, and will be scheduled in Q4 2017.
$100 contribution reward
You’ll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE rewards, plus a 25 Recipe Digital Cookbook. A downloadable PDF recipe book featuring 25 of our most loved and popular recipes from our 5 Minute Healthy Lunchbox System eCourse, complete with gorgeous photographs of each recipe, and a couple of our Australian Tour thrown in 😉
$150 contribution
You’ll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE, plus a full enrolment into our flagship eCourse – The 5 Minute Healthy Lunchbox System – for Term 1 2018, so you can kickstart 2018 with healthy, easy, fast lunchboxes for your children. To learn more about this eCourse please take a look here.
$500 contribution
You’ll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE plus a 1 Hour Private Consultation with Bel. Take advantage of this rare chance to have 1 on 1 consulting time with Bel, and use it to help you and your family with any food/health related challenges you’re currently facing. All sessions will be held online / via Skype.
$1500 contribution
You’ll receive ALL OF THE ABOVE plus a 1 Hour Keynote Presentation by Bel Smith. Bel has 17 years of corporate experience in senior roles, where presenting to a room full of people happened every other week. On top of that, she has presented to over 15,000 parents and children on our Australian Tour, so has lots of stories and a fabulous delivery to engage your audience. Bel Smith has plenty to say about the state of children’s health in Australia, how food can impact focus and productivity in the workplace and at home, and a variety of other topics which can be tailored to suit your event/audience.
How Will The Funds Be Used?
The funds raised will be used to purchase the fresh produce required to feed 320 students at Cambewarra Public School for the 8 weeks study. Students will receive a piece of fruit for Crunch N Sip in the morning and then 2 choices of vegetables and a good dollop of dip in the afternoon for their recess break.
This will be the equivalent of 1/2 cup (170g) of raw vegetables and this will be delivered to the class room – along with a platter of left-over veggies and tongs, so children can access more if they wish. Parents will be providing a wholesome main lunch.
The split up for how the funds are shown in the graph below:
Budget Breakdown
The budget is as follows:
Fresh Produce for 320 children for 8 weeks of school – $8800
2% Credit Card Merchant Fees – $176
10% Goods & Services Tax (GST) on money raised* – $897.60
TOTAL: $9873.6
To keep things simple we have rounded up to $9900.
All money raised for this project not required for GST or Merchant Fees will be passed on to the school.
* The Australian Taxation Office have made rulings on crowd-funding projects. In our case, because we are offering rewards, we must collect, and then pay GST on these contributions.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is The School Lunchbox So Important?
Children are sent to school to learn. For most children, 40% of the food they eat Monday to Friday comes from their Lunchbox. If they are to learn as best they can, the food in their lunchbox must nourish their bodies and their brains.
The Root Cause have visited over 70 schools from all demographics, right around Australia. They have seen hundreds of lunchboxes first-hand and heard from teachers across the country, that most children are having at least 2 processed package foods in a lunchbox per day. In some schools, teachers report many children are having more than 2 processed foods in their lunchbox each day.
These packaged foods are empty – they provide short term energy and have little to no nutritional value. Processed foods do very little to help nourish our children’s bodies and brains. This impacts their ability to concentrate in class and to stay focussed. For some children, these foods can trigger learning difficulties and behavioural issues. All over Australia, we’ve heard from teachers that they spend anywhere from 5% to 70% of their time managing behaviour rather than educating. This must be having an impact on literacy and numeracy results.
Under Australian Dietary Guidelines, most of these processed packaged are considered discretionary foods – this means they are not part of our five core food groups and their intake should be limited. Today these foods are not limited – they are in lunchboxes every.single.day.
What Is The Real Food Lunchbox Project?
The Real Food Lunchbox Project is an 8-week study (effectively a whole Term) looking at what happens for a whole school, when processed package foods are replaced with real foods of fruits, veggies, dips and smoothies for recess and snacks, and a wholesome main lunch.
The project will measure the changes in the classroom on concentration, focus on task, behaviour, detention rates and the changes in attitudes towards fruits and vegetables at home.
Why Is The RFLP So Important?
Cambewarra Primary School’s Three Year Strategic Plan (published 2014) identified the health and wellbeing of students as a priority. The school has been undertaking a range of different activities to achieve this.
As part of this plan, for over a year, The Root Cause has partnered with Cambewarra to investigate the impact of what happens when children eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day rather than processed packaged foods.
The results have been amazing.
- Improved concentration
- Improved socialisation skills
- Students trying new foods even when their parents said they wouldn’t eat it,
And most unexpectedly – and excitingly – we learned this:
Kids started to eat more fruits and vegetables at home for dinner and on the weekends – no struggles.
As we’ve travelled Australia, one of the most common complaints we’ve heard from parents is how they are struggling to get their children to eat fruits and vegetables. They either don’t like them full stop, or they don’t like eating them at school because they don’t feel normal because of all the packaged foods other kids are eating.
The single class study has shown when a classroom of children are trying and eating fruits and vegetables together, this way of eating becomes normal. When it’s normal to be eating real food at school, it becomes more normal for them to eat them it at home.
Is the humble school lunchbox the answer to getting children to eat more fruits and vegetables at home? We believe it may well be.
Is it the answer to improving concentration and class productivity as well? Again, we believe so.
Imagine: If this behaviour around real food was sustained over a much longer time period, it could lead to a marked improvement in results for the important topics of literacy and numeracy.
With the support of the Cambewarra Teachers and Parenting Community, this project is going to look at what happens real food in the lunchbox becomes normal for a whole school for a period of 8 weeks.
Israel and I both believe this project is so important to children’s health across Australia.
With the data from this project, TRC intend to prepare a report to take to the Dept of Health and the Dept of Education to show what is possible when children have real food in their Lunchbox which nourishes their body and brains.
When Will The Project Take Place?
The project will be conducted for the first 8 weeks of Term 4 of 2017. The data will be collated and reports produced in early 2018.
How Will The Funds Be Used?
The funds will be used to purchase the fresh produce required to feed 320 students at Cambewarra Public School for the 8 weeks study. Students will receive a piece of fruit for Crunch N Sip in the morning and then 2 choices of vegetables and a good dollop of dip in the afternoon for their recess break.
This will be the equivalent of 1/2 cup (170g) of raw vegetables and this will be delivered to the class room – along with a platter of left-over veggies and tongs, so children can access more if they wish. Parents will be providing a wholesome main lunch.
The split up for how the funds are shown in the graph below:
What If More Funds Are Raised Than The Target?
Any additional funds raised will be channelled into providing additional resources or equipment to help make the presentation of the fruits and vegetables look more inviting for the students (eg. fruit kebobs rather than just cut up fruit).
When Will I Receive My Rewards For Supporting The Project?
Bonuses will be distributed after the completion of the Crowd Funding Campaign, and in the week commencing the 18th September 2017.
Why Are You Not Using Pozible/Kickstarter/GoFundMe, Or An “Official” Crowd Funding Platform?
All of the mainstream crowdfunding sites have their own platform fees, plus individual transaction fees, and whatever taxes are applicable.
By running the campaign through our own website, we eliminate the cost of the platform fees, meaning more of the funds you contribute are used directly by the project.
If we used one of these sites, we would have to raise the funding target by around 9% (average platform fee) to cover these costs, and still raise enough to achieve our project goals.
Can I Claim This As A Tax-Deductible Donation?
No. The Root Cause and The Real Food Lunchbox Project are not a registered charity, and we do not have Deductible Gift Recipient status. By supporting this project, you will get the satisfaction of being a part of ground-breaking study which will hopefully have an impact on changing the face of children’s health in Australia.
Will You Share The Outcome of The Project With Us?
Absolutely. It will take us some time to compile the data and produce our reports, but when we do, this will be shared with all our supporters.
Can This Study Be Run At My School?
As you can appreciate, a lot of preparation work has gone into getting a whole school community on board for this project over almost 18 months. It’s not something a school can just start in a few weeks.
Considered tests and actions must be undertaken in preparation for the study. One of the outcomes of this project is together with Cambewarra Primary School, we will develop a process / protocol of how we went about preparing the school for the project. This is something we will work on publishing in 2018 for other schools who want to follow this example.
How Will The Project Work?
The project will be providing Crunch N Sip and Recess food, and parents will be responsible for providing the child’s main lunch.
9am – Start the day
The project will provide each student one piece of fruit for Crunch N Sip, which will be delivered to the classroom. Crunch N Sip is an important snack designed to refuel the brain after breakfast, and keep it going until lunch.
11 – 11.50 – main lunch
Children eat their main lunch provided by parents. This can NOT include packet foods. The main lunch is important because this will fuel your child’s brain and body for the learning between lunch and recess. I will be running 2 live webinar sessions for parents at Cambewarra Public School during Term 3, to help them with ideas on packing a filling main lunch without the need of packet foods.
1.20 – 1.50 Recess
Recess is the snack which fuels the child’s brain for a little over the last hour of the school day. The project will provide each student 2 choices of vegetables and a good dollop of dip. This will be the equivalent of 1/2 cup (170g) of raw vegetables and this will be delivered to the class room.
Australian dietary requirements for primary aged children indicate our children should have between 1.5 and 2 pieces of fruit a day and 4.5 to 5 serves of vegetables each day. The project’s nutritionist Jo has signed off that 1 piece of fruit and 1/2 a serve of vegetables is nutritionally adequate for a school lunchbox, with the remainder of the dietary requirements being provided at home for either breakfast, afternoon snacks and dinner. Each class will have a small platter of extra vegetables and tongs for those children who would like more.
2.15 Data Collection Time
Class returns at 1.50. At 2.15pm every teacher will conduct a Moment In Time Analysis of how each student is performing at a task that’s been allocated. This will assess focus, behaviour, interaction with students, etc. This data will be compared to similar data being collected in Term 3 and in the whole class studies.
Is The Project Safe For The Children?
Yes. The project has an expert panel to oversee the project, made up of an Integrative GP, a nutritionist, and a naturopath – as well as myself, a Health & Wellness Coach.
The Project’s Integrative GP, Dr Charlotte Middleton has provided her support on film for this project (see the videos above). She has publicly acknowledged the role food is having in the health issues children are presenting with today, and the impact it’s having on their learning.
The Project’s Nutritionist, Joanne Atkinson from Whole Family Wellness, has provided guidance and sign-off on what’s nutritionally sound for the children to be eating during school hours.
The Project’s Naturopath, Georgia Harding from Well Nourished – and myself, Bel Smith – will be providing parents with support and ideas on what to pack for a nutritious and well-balanced main lunch.
And I, Bel Smith – The Project’s Health and Wellness Coach – have been travelling Australia for almost 2 years empowering children to make better food choices. I’ve also spent 3 years educating hundreds of parents on how to pack healthy packet-free lunchboxes that children love, every day, in about 5 minutes a day.
Who Will Be Running The Project?
The Root Cause is running the project, overseeing it from a distance. Because we’re travelling Australia, logistically the day to day running of the project is being managed and executed by the school.
We already have regular meetings with school online/via phone, and will continue to do so throughout the project to discuss actions and any issues as they arise.
How Will The Project Be Funded?
The Root Cause are running this crowd funding campaign throughout August and early September with the aim of raising $9,900 to cover the cost of the produce the project will provide for Crunch N Sip and Recess.
Cambewarra Public School will be funding the resources to prepare and deliver Crunch N Sip and Recess. Teachers will conduct the moment in time analysis in their class each day.
The Root Cause and a resource allocated from Cambewarra will collate the data at the end of the study and produce results of how the study went.
Will That Be Enough Money To Feed The Whole School?
It’s important to remember the project is only feeding the whole school Crunch N Sip and Recess. Parents are still providing the main lunch.
Thanks to Nowra Farmers Markets, the project has sourced the fruit and vegetables at bulk and cost prices. This is allowing us to very economically source produce for the whole school for 8 weeks.
What Right Do You Have To Tell Parents What To Pack For Lunch?
None. That’s the cold hard truth. However, this project has been working with the Cambewarra School Community for over a year as part of their strategic plan for student health and wellbeing.
Parents at the school have been involved in the project and have signed consent forms for their children to participate in the project. A small number of parents have opted for their child not to participate due to personal reasons. The rest of the community are ready to change what food gets eaten at school for 8 weeks.
Updates
15 September 2017 – WE’VE HIT OUR TARGET!!!
Earlier today we cracked $9900 (and have since eclipsed it quite a bit!) and we can proudly say THE PROJECT IS GOING AHEAD AS PLANNED!
We are so utterly humbled and grateful for your support, your contributions, and your help in sharing and spreading the word about this project. We couldn’t have done it without your help. (Obvs.)
Stay tuned – we’re working on some stretch goal ideas, because we’re still fundraising until Tuesday.
Thanks again!
Bel & Israel xoxo
2 September 2017 – We’ve just been sent a video from the kids at Cambewarra Public School… They’re getting so excited about the project, and how much money is coming in to support the Real Food Lunchbox Project at their school! Check out the video here:
Support this project
Contribute without a reward
[crowdfundbackers productid=’94’]
Contribute $10 or more
Fresh Fruit & Vegie Superstar Pack
You’ll receive 4 x printables of our “In Season Fruit & Vegetable” charts, plus a printable of our “Transforming Children’s Health Manifesto”. You’ll also get a thankyou listing on our website.
[crowdfundbackers productid=’96’]
Contribute $25 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS:
Digital Health eBook 6-Pack
You’ll receive a 6-pack of our best eBooks:
– “Top 5 Tips for a Healthy Fun Lunchbox”
– “The Just Get Started Guide”
– “Jumpstart Your First Lunchbox Guide”
– “The Great School Holiday Snack Guide”
– “The Great After School Snack Guide”
– “Sandwich Filling Ideas”
[crowdfundbackers productid=’98’]
Contribute $50 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS:
Online Mad Food Science Family Event
You’ll receive a family ticket to a 90-min Online Mad Food Science Family Event including Live Q&A’s – to be scheduled in Q4 2017.
[crowdfundbackers productid=’100′]
Contribute $100 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS:
25 Recipe Digital Cookbook
You’ll receive a downloadable PDF cookbook, containing 25 of our most popular recipes – and gorgeous photographs – from our 5 Minute Healthy Lunchbox System eCourse.
[crowdfundbackers productid=’102′]
Contribute $150 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS:
5 Minute Healthy Lunchbox System eCourse
You’ll receive an enrolment into the eCourse for Term 1 of 2018, so you can kickstart 2018 with healthy, easy, fast lunchboxes for your children! (For more eCourse info, click here.)
[crowdfundbackers productid=’104′]
Contribute $500 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS:
A 1-hour Private Consultation with Bel
Get Bel’s One on One Coaching Expertise, to help you and your family with your biggest struggles related to food and healthy eating. All sessions will be held online / via Skype.
[crowdfundbackers productid=’106′ limited=’5′]
Contribute $1500 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE, PLUS:
A 1-hour Keynote Presentation by Bel Smith
With 17 years of corporate experience in executive roles, plus a wealth of experience and knowledge gained after presenting workshops to over 15,000 people on our Australian Tour, Bel Smith has plenty to share about the state of children’s health in Australia, how food impacts focus and productivity in the workplace and at home, and a variety of other topics which can be tailored to suit your event/audience.
[crowdfundbackers productid=’108′ limited=’3′]