When you’re preparing several lunchboxes, a large pack of dried noodles lets you cook them at home and divide them into portions. A chilled ready meal means less preparation, but you’ll need to follow its storage instructions until lunchtime. A multipack of instant noodles gives you individual portions instead, so check that they can be prepared in the way your school allows.
You want to cook a quantity of noodles and divide it between several meals, rather than opening an instant portion each time. The pack weight matters, but the size of each portion depends on how you prepare them.
You’re looking to cut down on daily preparation. However, chilled ready meals and instant noodles have different storage requirements and may need different facilities at school.
Before buying a large pack, check the ingredients and allergens for the exact product you’ve chosen. Depending on the recipe, you may need to look out for wheat, eggs or soya.
For secondary school lunchboxes, first decide whether you’d prefer to cook at home, pack a chilled meal or use individual instant portions. Time alone won’t settle it if storage or preparation at school could be an issue.
Worth considering: if you can cook the noodles at home and divide them between several lunchboxes.
Bear in mind: you’ll need time to prepare them and to store them appropriately once cooked.
Worth considering: if you’d prefer a meal that can be reheated and can keep it at the required temperature until lunchtime.
Bear in mind: it needs to stay chilled. The TRADITIONS D’ASIE noodle tray sold by Auchan must be stored between 0 °C and 4 °C.
Worth considering: if you’d rather store individual portions and can prepare them when needed.
Bear in mind: you’ll have set portions rather than one batch you can cook and portion as you like.
| Factor | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity to portion out | Compare the net weight, number of packs and stated portions, rather than relying on the word “family-size” alone. | I prepare several lunchboxes during the week and want to portion each meal myself; around 36% of consumers would reportedly make this their top priority. |
| Storage | Read the product’s storage instructions and check how to keep anything that needs chilling at the right temperature until lunchtime. | If lunch will be in a bag for several hours, I need to be able to follow the storage instructions; around 29% of consumers would reportedly put this first. |
| Preparation time | Consider whether you’ll be cooking at home, reheating at school or need access to hot water. | Mornings are busy and I’m looking for a quick portion, as long as I can prepare it as instructed; around 21% of consumers would reportedly prioritise this. |
| Ingredients | Check the ingredients, declared allergens and any ‘may contain’ information on the exact pack. | Before buying several meals of the same recipe, I need to know whether the ingredients suit my household’s needs; around 14% of consumers would reportedly make this their priority. |
A tray labelled as serving 2 to 4 people, a multipack of individual sachets and a box of 12 × 400 g packs won’t suit the same meal-prep routine. A very large multipack also takes up space before you even know whether the recipe suits your household.
Think about the weight and number of packs in relation to the lunchboxes you actually plan to prepare.
The TRADITIONS D’ASIE vegetable noodle tray sold by Auchan must be stored between 0 °C and 4 °C. ANSES notes that keeping food at a low temperature limits microbial growth.
Before choosing this format for school, check the product’s storage instructions, whether refrigeration is available and how it will be transported.
Depending on your arrangements, you may need a suitable insulated container or access to refrigeration.
Ingredients vary from one recipe to another. Information for a product sold abroad, a different flavour or another format won’t tell you what’s in the pack you’re about to buy.
Read the ingredients list and highlighted allergens on the pack itself. The DGCCRF reminds shoppers that allergens must be emphasised on prepacked food labels.
ALDI France offers ASIA GREEN GARDEN® Chinese-style noodles in an 800 g pack, a format worth considering if you plan to cook and portion several meals.
Auchan offers a 400 g tray of TRADITIONS D’ASIE Chinese vegetable noodles, labelled as serving 2 to 4 people.
Carrefour’s noodle range lets you compare different pack sizes, including a CHAO’AN multipack of 12 × 400 g sachets.
Lidl has offered a multipack of instant noodles, which is best considered as a set of individual portions rather than one large pack to portion out.
Blue Dragon describes egg noodles on its Canadian website. This listing can help you identify a type of recipe, but it doesn’t identify a product sold in France.
These products offer two ways to plan ahead: buy dried noodles to cook and portion at home, or keep individual sachets of instant noodles in the cupboard. If you’re preparing or transporting a lunchbox, check the preparation and storage instructions separately.
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This large pack of dried noodles is ideal for cooking at home and dividing between several meals.
Stated size: 2 kg. Adjust the quantities to suit each lunchbox and check the ingredients on the pack.
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This large pack of dried vermicelli is suited to families preparing several portions at home.
Stated size: 2 kg. Allow enough time to prepare them according to the pack instructions.
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This pack of dried noodles gives you the option of making several meals without buying individual sachets of instant noodles.
Stated size: 800 g. Work out your portions based on the meals you have planned, and check the ingredients on the product you receive.
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This multipack is ideal if you want individual portions rather than measuring noodles out of a large pack for several lunchboxes.
The box contains 30 sachets of 55 g. Before planning to prepare them at school, check the instructions and make sure the necessary facilities are available.
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This instant noodle multipack suits a sachet-by-sachet routine, rather than cooking a larger batch to portion out as you like.
Stated size: 4 sachets of 130 g. Check the preparation instructions and allergens on the pack before choosing it for school.
Don’t assume they can be left out of the fridge until lunchtime. The TRADITIONS D’ASIE chilled tray sold by Auchan must be stored between 0 °C and 4 °C. For any prepared meal, check the storage instructions and make sure you can keep the lunchbox under the required conditions until lunchtime.
Check the net weight, ingredients, allergens, nutritional information, date and storage instructions on the pack you’ve chosen. The DGCCRF reminds shoppers that allergens must be emphasised on prepacked food labels, so always check the exact product you buy.
No. Only the ingredients list for the specific product can confirm its ingredients and declared allergens. A Blue Dragon listing published in Canada names wheat and egg for its product, but it may not describe a pack bought in France.
Not for the same purpose: a multipack gives you individual portions, while a large pack of dried noodles lets you cook a quantity and portion it yourself. If you plan to prepare instant noodles at school, first check that you’ll be able to follow the preparation instructions there.