Healthier school dinners - a dinner lady's view

[emkana]

I got talking to the dinner lady at dd1's primary school today. She was complaining about the amount of waste there was, because the children wouldn't eat the healthy stuff. She said that she spends all morning chopping up veg which she knows is going to go in the bin. In her opinion Jamie O. doesn't know what parents really want.
She didn't say what she would do if she was in charge, but it seemed to be that she would rather go without the healthy stuff as long as the children actually ate what was on offer. She seems to be under pressure from the company (Sodexho) as well, as they want there to be a certain number of dinners per week.

Found it all quite disheartening, really. Sad that she was so unenthusiastic about it all, but also sad that there is so much food wasted.

I hope this is not the same across the country.

[hulababy]

The ood waste should go down. Certianly it did in the original JO series - the children got more used to it and school dinner uptake rose again.

At DD's primary school there is NO choice (other than veggie is prearranged via parents). There is a main course and a choice of dessert of fruit for second course.

It was like that when I was at school in the 70s/early 80s. None of this nonsense back then.

I think it is so desperately sad that children can't or wan't eat proper food.

[emkana]

It is sad.

At the birthday party where I talked to the dinner lady dd1 picked up a lettuce leaf that was put on a sandwiches platter for decoration, and ate it. Dinner lady looked on, aghast!

[dinny]

same at my dd's primary school, Hula - there is no choice at all and they have healthy non-processed meals with treat day being Friday (when they get something like fishfingers, chips, peas and ice cream).

think this is the only way a lot of kids will eat healthy food, if there is no choice. am always surprised when some parents send kids with packed lunch - don't really understand why when school is providing such good-quality hot meals (at 1.40 a day, iirc)

[cleaninglady]

would we rather they ate something even if it is not that good for them than to keep trying to get them to eat better food? i know i would rather they keep on trying although appreciate it may be frustrating for the ladies preparing the food when lots of it goes to waste but it can only improve surely? I dont think JO was trying to know what the parents want he was trying to ensure that children nowadays get access to healthy good food even if it is only at school - can any parent honestly say they wouldnt want that for their children?

[hulababy]

Yes, DD's non choice food is also all cooked on site, non-processed food. Fruit and veg every day, mix of main courses.


I agree. Don't think JO was concerned about what perents want, but more with what our children NEED!

[dinny]

thing is, if only a healthy lunch is provided at school, children will eat it when they realise there is no alternative...? When will people realise they are doing wrong by their kids by feeding them crap?!

[expatinscotland]

Sorry but I'm not prepared to allow my child to dictate to me what is good for her until she's no longer a minor. No, I don't think so.

I am the adult and she is the child.

She doesn't like what she's given to eat, well, hell, I don't like paying taxes. That's just too damn bad, isn't it? That's life!

As my sister says about her younger daughter, 'She's NINE, ffs! Of course she's going to think chips and supermarket cakes are a proper meal!'.

That's what's wrong w/society, we're too afraid of being the bad guy we've forgotten we're not here to be our childrens' friends - at least not now. We're their parents.

[Bozza]

TBH this does my head in. What is she saying the answer is - that we all allow our children to eat junk all the time because they like it? Doesn't she think that some fruit/veg gets wasted at home. Today DD said she wanted an apple and ate 3 bites. Now I would not tolerate that from 5yo DS but DD is only 2. As it happens we recycled it - ie DH ate it. But I am not stopping offering her fruit. Yes it is disheartening but like Hula says they really need to stick at it. I have done that and now I have a 5yo who has eaten leek and feta quiche with a sweetcorn wheel followed by grapes for lunch and homemade chicken biryani followed by blueberries and natural yoghurt for dinner. And the 2yo ate most of that too.

[Bozza]

A lot of us agreeing here. I get really down with JO/the Govt/schools/kitchen staff trying to improve standards but being undermined at every turn by parents.

[TitianRed]

Interesting points. My local authority offers free meals for all. Unfortunately, the 'vegetarian' option often contains fish, which is the reason why my son takes a packed lunch. I find it so sad that some parents do not make the effort to provide their children with healthy, nourishing food. There is absolutely no excuse not to. I work 3 days a week and don't get in until 5.30 but, on those days, I usually get something out of the freezer for tea that I had prepared over the weekend - a veggie shepherd's pie or a tomato and lentil stew etc If all else fails, how long does it take to microwave a jacket potato or whip up some scrambled eggs? Keep up the fantastic work, all you dinner ladies out there!

[Mercy]

Have asked several people (including children) re the 'new' school dinners. It's healthier in terms of content but still tastes crap in their opinion.

On a slight tangent, does your school have a garden/composting set up. At least part of it wouldn't be wasted.

[sandyballs]

My 5 year old DDs have started school dinners this term after I heard from other parents how good it was - roast dinners, pasta, shep pie, salad bar etc and all cooked on the premises.

However, they do get a choice and it seems that one of my DDs is choosing really odd combinations and no-one seems to be guiding her - eg last Friday she had a Jacket potato, rice and cucumber and the previous day she had sausages, mash, tuna and sweetcorn. Surely at 5 they need someone to help them a bit more

[CarolinaMoon]

haven't read the thread, but surely the point of the JO campaign is for kids to eat heathily, not necessarily for kids to eat what parents want them to eat .

It is awful that children are being effectively discouraged from eating the healthy stuff on offer, by the example they're given at home.

[CarolinaMoon]

TitianRed and Sandyballs - can you both ask the schools what they think they are doing?

[marthamoo]

Good point, Mercy. Ds1 has gone back to sandwiches after a while on school dinners. He's happy to eat most vegetables but kept saying that the ones at school weren't "as nice" as the ones he had at home. It may be healthier but I don't think the quality is always up to much - which, of course is down to the pathetic amount that is spent on school dinners (something like 21 pence a head, iirc?)

[sandyballs]

I'm a bit concerned about the quality for that price. It's bound to be cheap sausages, cheap mince etc. God, I think they're going back on to packed lunches, at least you know what you're giving them.

[SaintGeorge]

sandyballs - that sounds like a typical choice by a 5 yr old at our school.

We have a choice of 2-3 main dishes (today for example it was curry, savoury mince or jacket spud + beans) plus a veggie option which is usually salad (inventive eh?)

The 4-5 yr olds are guided to choose a main dish, then they are offered veggies (which today included the rice for the curry) and shown to the salad bar. So the combinations you mention are feasible, if strange!

We gently point out to them that the combination might not be what an adult would choose, but if they are happy eating it we are happy to see them do it. Any food is better than no food.