• September 4, 2008

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is introducing Smart Boxes--all-in-one meals for children that include individual servings of baby carrots, dried fruit, crackers, a cheese stick and an organic drink (apple juice, milk, fruit punch or grape juice).

At $2.98 per, they might seem pricey. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which subsidizes school lunches, says the average student lunch costs $3 to prepare this year, and many parents say that schools serve foods that aren't healthy enough for kids.

Like all Fresh & Easy brand food, the Smart Boxes have no added trans fats, no artificial colors or flavors and few preservatives. "Consumers may be cutting back in terms of discretionary spending, but they are not about to send their kids to school without the necessities," the company says in its release.--Sarah Mahoney