'Uber Eats for primary schools' comes to the Illawarra

Overstretched parents of the Illawarra have been thrown a lunchbox lifeline, thanks to a local mum on a mission to “make health and convenience priority”.

Yum in a Box delivers eco-friendly bento box style lunches – assembled fresh that morning – direct to schools, to take the pressure off busy families.

Phys ed teacher and Austinmer mum Erin Matts founded the business to help address inequality among parents, which she noticed while on maternity leave with her youngest.

“I was sleep-deprived and looking for convenience and fell into the trap of buying prepackaged lunchbox snacks. When the paid maternity leave ran out and we reviewed our budget, I thought, ‘Why am I buying these expensive muesli bars, which I could make myself cheaper, yummier and healthier?” she says.

“A couple of times my kids came home and mentioned that their friends had admired their lunchboxes … I knew the only reason I was able to do this for my kids was because I was on leave.

“I knew most of the schools in my area either had no canteen, or if they did, it was operated part-time by time-poor parents on a volunteer basis. Something clicked – what if we had an Uber Eats type service, but for primary schools?”

Within a few months of researching the concept viability and testing recipes, Yum in a Box was launched with the tagline “making health and convenience priority”. The business now collaborates with Millers’ Local Bakehouse for its fresh-baked goods, but the rest is done in Erin’s kitchen.

Participating schools set up their students with a My School Connect account, and parents order and pay in the app.

The current cutoff for ordering is the day before delivery, giving Erin adequate time to buy and prep the fresh fruit and vegetables, to be cut and boxed fresh the next morning in eco-friendly bamboo disposable bento boxes with recyclable lids.

Individual schools decide when and where they want their orders delivered, whether it be to the office or direct to the classroom, before crunch and sip or just before lunchtime. Each lunch is individually labelled with the recipient’s name and order.

Lunch boxes come in sizes from two sections to five sections, priced from $5.50 to $11.50 for basic lunch options, with add-ons such as gluten-free items. All foods are nut-free with an option to specify other allergies.

While health is a big focus, Erin emphasises that the Yum in a Box nutritional philosophy is not about perfection or restriction, but about balance, variety and making healthy food enjoyable for kids.

“It’s the kind of lunchbox I’m happy to send my girls to school with,” she says.

“I know protein is a big focus for a lot of people, but to be scrutinised on protein in a lunchbox is a tall order for parents. Kids don’t have fridges and microwaves at school, so the food has to travel well and be appetising and safe at room temperature. It has to be filling, give them energy and sustenance, and be something they’re actually happy to eat. So, my philosophy when it comes to protein is – don’t stress too much about it at lunch, you can make up for it at home.

“At the end of the day, this is to inject a half hour or so back into the lives of these busy parents, so they can use that time to instead read their kid a book, take a walk with them, have a chat or whatever else they choose, because they’re only this age for so long, and that time is so precious.”

Yum in a Box is now used in schools stretching from Scarborough in the north to Bellambi in the south. Schools as far as Sutherland have enquired, and while Erin is open to expansion down the line, for now the focus is on schools in her backyard.

“I know nourishing our kids is a priority for parents, but often it’s in the context of so many competing priorities. We can’t all be ‘that parent’ who batch cooks the homemade, healthy, plastic-free, Instagram-perfect lunches,” she says.

“I hope for some parents, Yum in a Box can solve that conundrum.”

For more information visit Yum in a Box.