Teachers have taken to social media to share the worst packed lunches they've seen pupils bring in to school.
And in some cases, the contents are hard to swallow.
One teacher said they saw a primary school pupil bring in nothing but a pork pie and a can of shandy for lunch.
The child said he made the lunch himself because “that’s all there was in the fridge”, according to the teacher, of Halifax, West Yorkshire.
In another incident, a child was sent in with a can of Red Bull, the Mirror reports.
When the teacher, based in Leeds, questioned his mum about the beverage she said: "He’d had a late night on his Xbox and seemed like he needed a pick-me-up.”
The same teacher said she saw a child arrive with a packet of ginger biscuits explaining mum had been “too tired” to go to the shops.
In Birmingham, school staff said one child was sent off with a Happy Meal box with a cold McDonald’s burger and fries.
Their gran explained it had been bought the day before but the pupil hadn’t wanted it so it was a “shame for it go to waste”.
In Manchester a teacher found an eight-year-old lad had grabbed a can of Strongbow Dark Fruits cider thinking it was a soft drink.
A child with no packed lunch or cash for a meal said he’d had cereal with water on it for breakfast because “mum needed the milk for her coffee”.
The teacher – one of dozens sharing stories on Facebook – said: “I’m not ashamed to say I cried when he told me that.”
What parent's should pack in their child's lunchbox
Staff in primary schools are trained to monitor packed lunches.
Unhealthy or unsuitable items can be confiscated and handed to parents at the end of class – instead children get a free school meal worth around £2.20.
The NHS’s Change4Life healthy eating campaign advises parents making packed lunches to include a healthy sandwich or wrap, a piece of fruit, a treat like a jelly or malt loaf and a bottle of water or sugar-free drink.
They are also advised to replace crisps, chocolate and biscuits with homemade plain popcorn, plain rice cake, or fruited teacakes.
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