School Lunch Nutrition Calculator

Work out school lunch nutrition instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About School Lunch Nutrition Calculator

The meal is compared with the published school food energy and protein minimums for the age group, reporting each as a percentage of target. School meal standards set an energy band rather than a ceiling, so a meal well over target is as much a flag as one under it.

Formula

Against target

percentage = nutrient in the meal / age group target x 100

Worked example

With the default values below, School Lunch Nutrition Calculator returns Energy against the target of 116.1%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Age groupone of Ages 5-7 (about 530 kcal target), Ages 7-11 (about 560 kcal), Ages 11-18 (about 680 kcal): Ages 7-11 (about 560 kcal)
Energy in the mealminimum 1 kcal: 650 kcal
Protein in the mealminimum 0 g: 18 g

Results

Energy against the target: 116.1%
Energy above or below target: 90 kcal
Protein against the minimum: 211.8%
Standard check: Meets the energy and protein standard

Step by step

1Values used
2Against target
3Energy against the target= 116.1
4Energy above or below target= 90 kcal
5Protein against the minimum= 211.8
6Standard check= Meets the energy and protein standard

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the School Lunch Nutrition figure worked out?

percentage = nutrient in the meal / age group target x 100. The meal is compared with the published school food energy and protein minimums for the age group, reporting each as a percentage of target.

Why does this matter?

School meal standards set an energy band rather than a ceiling, so a meal well over target is as much a flag as one under it.

What do I need to enter?

Enter age group, energy in the meal, protein in the meal. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.