The best nutritionists will tell you - good attitudes to food begin at birth. So before you even get to school - try to ensure your child grows up with an understanding of good food and where it comes from. Grow your own. Use your balcony, window box or community garden. Toddlers love to help with fruit and veg growing and sowing the seeds of this early on will bear fruit later. You could try planting raspberries (great for lunchboxes) - or little lunch box cucumbers.
When you get to school age - the first step is to talk to your school beforehand about their Food Policy. Good schools should have one and this might mean that sugary or fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate are banned outright. You may not even need to provide your child with a drink - as many schools have cooled water machines nowadays, which are always accessible.
Next - go shopping with your child for a lunch box they really like. Our family favourite is a 'Lap Top lunchbox'. These look like little lap top cases but when you open them up there are little compartments for sandwiches, tips and a treat - whatever you like.
Then you need a comprehensive Game Plan. You need to coordinate three things in the running of your household. These are: your household budget, your household meal plan (yes, you should have one, as it really helps to know what you're making for mid-week meals) and finally, your lunch box strategy.
The name of the game is to cook ahead and use left-overs for lunch boxes. So if you're doing roast lamb at the weekend, you know there's be cold meat for sandwiches. Cooking eggs? Cook a few extra and make egg mayonnaise for deli wraps. You can even put rice and salad into a lunch box. The key is to keep your child involved as far as you can. There are lots of books on the market at the moment with fresh ideas to ring the changes - so treat yourself.
Make sure you have all the kit that you need. Save your sanity. Keep all your sandwich boxes, your lids, your wrapping paper in an easily accessible place. Do the preparation the night before at the latest - ladies and gentlemen please...
Finally, don't be afraid to say 'no' when you need to. You don't need to cave in to your child's constant demands for unhealthy food. You don't need to bow to peer pressure - whether this comes your way from children or other parents. It's your child's future.