A common misconception is that the occasion is predominantly the premise of children. But although children under 16 eat more than a quarter of carried-out foods, nearly half are eaten by men of working age. This represents a significant opportunity for manufacturers. The importance of children in the household cannot be over-estimated. Those with children are nearly twice as likely to take a lunchbox than those without. Working age, C1 households have the highest penetration and frequency of lunchboxes carried out from home. For them, this type of lunch may be more attractive as a cheaper alternative to a shop bought sandwich. Foods in the lunchbox are traditional. Three quarters contain a sandwich, half contain fresh fruit and a third contain biscuits. The female consumer is more likely to carry out fresh fruit with her sandwiches while men prefer crisps and cakes. Children carry out a wider variety of products: their lunchboxes contain on average 2.7 items compared with 2.4 for men and 1.9 for women. So what is the challenge for the manufacturer? The consumer's requirements for products that are relatively cheap, portable and appealing to both children, men and women, who are the gatekeeper, must be met. A savoury product must be a realistic alternative to the sandwich or crisps. If it is sweet, the competitive considerations are more important. In the past three years, yogurts, fresh fruit and biscuits have increased their share in the lunchbox while chocolate confectionery has remained relatively flat. Competition is also coming from outside the occasion via the bought out of home sandwich, which shows year-on-year volume growth. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}