Lunch box police

[BackToBeingMe]

Just had a phone call from school and asked if I could go in for a chat regarding dd lunch. She is 6 and in year 2, being in key stage 1 she gets universal free school meals which she has everyday apart from Wednesday. Wednesday is always a roast and the gravy the meat is cooked in gives her an upset stomach. I am irritated as the teacher has looked in dd lunch bag this morning which I feel is out of order if I'm total honest. So the offending item which she has had the last few Wednesday's as there is 10 in a pack is a mini Pick Up Bar. Photo attached for size she has just the 1 biscuit not the 3 that is the actual serving size. Along with the pick up she has a cheese and ham mini wrap with lettuce, cucumber and red onion in, 6 cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, a pot of hummus and grapes which are cut into 1/4s. I was a bit taken aback just now on the phone so didn't say much at all, now I need to know what to say at by meeting this afternoon. I would seriously think the school had more to worry about than a flamming fun size biscuit. For back ground we moved into this area recently and dd has only been at the school since the September and such rule was mentioned during induction day in July.

[BackToBeingMe]

No such rules where mentioned that should of said sorry.

[firefire]

Seems silly to me, her lunchbox sounds healthy enough. Could it be to do with allergies? Does it have nuts in?

Sorry, never had a pick up bar before.

I'd probably ask what the school dinner children had for pudding and the nutritional info per portion. I bet it's more unhealthy than the pick up bar!

[kpeanut94]

I had the same thing!
My daughter has a packed lunch every Friday because Friday they only serve fish and she doesn't like it. I put a small lunchbox sized double decker bar in for her along with lots of other healthy snacks and they took it out of her lunchbox and wouldn't let her eat it.

Pretty sure they had it themselves as they never gave it me back.😂 just told me she wasn't aloud it!

It's ridiculous.
I'm all about healthy eating but even on a school meal they are given a biscuit or a cake for pudding so it's beyond me!

[BackToBeingMe]

It is the milk chocolate one not the hazelnut one so I don't think it is about allergies, unless they don't know there are 2 types. If it is allergy related I get that totally but then why not just say that over the phone. I have a dc that is an edipen user (not for nuts) so I know first how dangerous allergies can be.

[Pawprintjoy]

Don’t know if school would agree but you could say it was all you had in the house that you could put in? Don’t see how it could particularly harm a child if it came in a multipack and you only gave her one it’s like how at ds’s school they all get a treat in their lunch on a Friday, from your OP I gather that she doesn’t have a packed lunch everyday only once a week so YWNBU for doing this but if it was stated in the rules I’d say you’d have to give your reasoning and then accept that in their eyes it’s unacceptable for a packed lunch. Good luck xx

[firefire]

Yes, they could just say that over the phone.

Hopefully the school meals children have had sticky toffee pudding and custard for lunch today! After a hearty roast dinner smothered in gravy and Yorkshire puds. They will have no argument then!

Do you have access to a menu? Forewarned is forearmed and all that!

[Rainshowers]

That does seem over the top from the school. My DD is in reception and has only had packed lunch once, but the school actually says in their example lunch list ‘a treat, e.g a mini kitKat or small cake’ along with the usual fruit/veg/dairy recommendations. I still felt guilty putting a little cake in, eventhough she always has cake or some kind of desert after her school dinner!

[CandyCreeper]

had the same with my childrens school, they are not allowed anything with chocolate in it! despite chocolate cake and icecream on the menu!

[AnonyMousee]

I find it so strange that teachers check the lunches these days.
When I was a kid I used to Chuck my lunches away and just have a chocolate bar and packet of crisps. I've never even overweight , I don't gain weight easily, i just couldn't stand packed lunches as a kid and never qualified for the hot lunches.

I think they're being ridiculous, the lunch sounds really healthy and balanced!!

[Celebelly]

Seems like a gigantic waste of everyone's time. Her lunch sounds absolutely fine and normal.

[BackToBeingMe]

I will look what the pudding is on the school dinner today before I go but it is pretty much always something and custard on a Wednesday, I don't want to be overly petty tho. Just text dh and his reply was a laughing guff so not much help from him.

[southnownorth]

It's ridiculous. The same happened to my DD.

Mean while those having school dinners all enjoy cake and custard.

When they start high school anything goes.

I bet the teachers are all scoffing crap in the staff room at break time.

[KingIrving]

If it is the biscuit you posted a picture of, it has hazelnut in the listed ingredients, so it might be because of the nut-free rule .

[BumsexAtTheBingo]

Most schools seem to have ridiculous packed lunch rules now that don’t seem to apply to the school dinners which they try to push you into taking up. The menu at our school is things like pizza and chips (sorry fried potatoes because they only allow chips twice a week!). And I’m not talking a nice thin pizza with lots of veg on - I’ve seen it - it’s cheese and tomato and swimming in fat.
My kids take a healthy sandwich or pasta salad, with fresh fruit and veg and a small biscuit. Far superior nutritionally to what they are offered at school imo.

[ByeGermsByeWorries]

I've been pulled into school over a mini jammy dodger snack pack before now. Basically 4 jammy dodgers each the side of a thumb nail while the school dinner pudding was chocolate fudge cake. It's absolutely ridiculous.

[FittonTower]

School lunches are regulated, schools should not be selling confectionary (such as chocolate bars) so many don't allow them in packed lunches either.
The rules should be clear though.

[LuvSmallDogs]

YANBU, that’s ridiculous. DS1’s primary school’s lunch box policy is pretty non-existent, all they say on it is “we encourage a healthy balanced diet”. They don’t even have a nut policy, so DS1 gets his PBJs!

[Celebelly]

I think I'd just remain polite and say thank them for their concern but you are happy your daughter's packed lunch is suitable and healthy.

Or I'd probably be passive aggressive because I can never help myself and suggest that if that tiny biscuit was such a big issue, maybe they could schedule a meeting with the school meal providers to discuss getting rid of desserts for school meals as you've now been enlightened, thanks to them, and are horrified that children are being given custard and cake.

[firefire]

Ah, it does have nuts in. Is it possible you just haven't been given a copy of things that are banned from lunchboxes? That might be why they are checking so rigorously, could be a child there with a nut allergy

[Tomatoesrock]

What a waste of time. We do notget school dinners in our schools, just a sandwich or bring your own though they are strict on any sweets other than a Friday trwat day. I think it can cause mayhem with other DC wanting chocolate on a Wednesday. I am sure the Teacher would just a note home, her reaction is OTT.

[SnuggyBuggy]

I can understand clamping down on people who send in nothing but crisps and chocolate but this is ridiculous

[Celebelly]

I'd have thought if it was just because it had nuts, they would say that on the phone and not have to have a whole meeting about it, surely?

[Tomatoesrock]

I can't believe they give the DC custard and cake daily, then moan about a bit of chocolate. As Celebelly mentioned, I would use this too they are hypocrites.

[Bananacakes]

My daughter’s school that she started in September are the other way and it’s equally ridiculous. Her previous school was a healthy eating school and lunch guidelines were given but these were reasonable. They were allowed a small treat (like a penguin, of crisps but they discouraged both) focus was on healthy sandwich or pasta and fruit.
Her new school is really annoying! They don’t show any interest at all and she takes a salad wrap, crisps (I am giving her sunbites), fruit (that she never eats) a chocolate bar (penguin/normal size pick up)
It seems comparable to the meals they serve though.
If kids can have cake and custard, a child should be allowed a mini chocolate bar

[Ninoo25]

My DD has healthy-ish packed lunches along the school’s own guidelines - a sandwich, a small side salad (if I put it on the sandwich she complains it gets soggy), a piece of fruit and a frube. They’re allowed to take a fruit shoot or something, but I give her water. No sweets or crisps. She tells me other parents give their children chocolate bars etc and nothing gets said. It comes round to her birthday and I put a Mr Kipling lunchbox slice in her lunch with a little note on it saying happy birthday as a nice surprise for her birthday. She came home with it uneaten and really upset saying she’d been told off and not to eat it 😡