The prevalence of the most common foods of each type provided in English children’s packed lunches in 2006 and 2016 (percentage of 1148 lunches in 2006 and percentage of 323 lunches in 2016)
| Food type | Most common examples 2006 | Most common examples 2016 |
| Sandwich bread type | White sliced (37), white rolls (15), high-fibre white bread (10) | White sliced (34), tortillas (13), white rolls (10), high-fibre white bread (4) |
| Sandwich fillings | Ham (27), cheese (12), chicken (11), tuna (7), jam (9) | Ham (28), cheese (18), chicken (9), tuna (9), Nutella (7) |
| Fruit | Apple (20), grapes (9), banana (9), orange (9), raisins (4) | Apple (18), grapes (11), banana (9), raisins (9), orange (7) |
| Vegetables | Cucumber (8), tomatoes (7), lettuce (2), carrots (3) | Cucumber (10), tomatoes (6), lettuce (3), carrots (2) |
| High fat savoury foods | Sausage, for example, Peperami (6), sausage roll (5) | Sausage, for example, Peperami (9), sausage roll (5) |
| Cheese (outside sandwich) | Cheese string (6), cheese dip (3), Edam (3) | Cheese string (13), Edam (7), cheese dip (1) |
| Milk-based desserts | Fromage frais (19), yoghurt (11), drinking yoghurt (4) | Yoghurt (27), fromage frais (10), drinking yoghurt (7) |
| Savoury snacks | Crisps (31), corn-based snacks (11), potato starch rings (11) | Crisps (28), potato starch rings (17), corn based snacks (11) |
| Confectionery | Chocolate biscuit (28), sweets/chocolate (11), chocolate cake/cereal bar (19) | Chocolate biscuit (34), sweets/chocolates (12), chocolate cake/cereal bar (11) |
| Permitted desserts | Plain biscuits (5), flapjack (4) | Plain biscuit (10), flapjack (4) |
| Sweetened drinks | Sweetened squash (36), fruit drink carton (23) | Sweetened squash (27), fruit drink carton (12) |
| Permitted drinks | Water (14), pure juice (14) | Water (16), pure juice (14) |