Picky Eating at School: UBC Expert Urges Families to Look Beyond One Lunch

A lunchbox that comes home full does not, by itself, tell the whole story of a child’s nutrition. In a new October 1 interview, UBC clinical instructor and pediatric occupational therapist Dr. Lauren Hershfield asks families to consider the child’s intake over the full day and the school environment before turning lunchtime into a struggle.

Hershfield says selective eating can reflect development, sensory preferences, temperament and context rather than one simple cause. Short lunch periods, unfamiliar sounds and social distractions may make eating at school different from eating at home. It can be reasonable to adapt a food’s texture or presentation—such as removing a crust—while maintaining reliable energy intake and gradually offering opportunities to explore other foods.

The interview suggests involving children in packing age-appropriate parts of lunch, including both familiar foods and something new, and practising how to open containers before school. It also identifies persistent mealtime stress or interference with everyday life as reasons to seek additional help. Parents’ own anxiety is part of that conversation.

Why school lunch is a poor single measure

Hershfield’s UBC interview separates a child’s overall eating pattern from what happens during one short school break. A familiar food can be harder to eat in a noisy room, with a different routine and limited time, even when the child eats it comfortably at home. The more useful question is whether the child is getting enough across the day and whether mealtimes are becoming persistently stressful. UBC suggests practical adjustments such as a substantial breakfast or an after-school snack, keeping reliable foods in the lunch, and letting the child help pack it. Those are options to discuss with a family, not a claim that every child’s selective eating is harmless.

What a pharmacy conversation can—and cannot—do

When a caregiver asks for a supplement or appetite product, a brief pharmacy conversation can clarify the concern before suggesting an item: Is the lunch untouched every day or only occasionally? Are breakfast and dinner also affected? Is the child distressed by particular textures, smells or the school setting? Are meals or social activities becoming difficult for the family? These are Pharmasist’s practical prompts drawn from the themes in the UBC interview, not a diagnostic checklist. They can help determine whether reassurance about one lunch is reasonable or whether the family needs a fuller pediatric or dietetic assessment. A counter recommendation should not replace that assessment when intake, growth, functioning or caregiver stress is a persistent concern.

Where pharmacy teams fit

• When asked for a vitamin, appetite product or quick fix, ask what the child actually eats across the day rather than treating one skipped lunch as a diagnosis.
• Check whether a concern is about school timing, sensory experience or a more persistent pattern; avoid labelling the child from a brief counter encounter.
• Review any supplement request for age-appropriate use and the child’s existing medicines or health conditions.
• Refer families for individualized pediatric or dietetic assessment when intake concerns persist, daily functioning is affected or caregiver distress is substantial.

These pharmacy-facing points are editorial applications of Hershfield’s interview, not a substitute for a child’s clinical evaluation. The interview does not endorse a particular supplement or treatment.