Schools using battery eggs

[olivertulliver]

My son has a food tech lesson last week. He came home and said were given battery eggs to use.

I wrote an e-mail to the school suggesting that should support ethical food choices. I have now got a reply saying they are constrained by budgets and also that they 'are not in a position to insist that a particular view is forced on our students or their parents'. (Wtf?)

I feel quite dismayed by this, but am unsure how I should reply.

wwyd?

[babyapplejack]

Leave it.

The school are doing their best under presumably very difficult circumstances.

[SarfEasticated]

Did you watch the program on the telly the other day about hospital food, one of the hospitals was saying that they bought all of their food from a farming collective, and it was cheaper and far better than the pre-cooked stuff other hospitals used. If you felt like a mission you could always look into it and send the school some info.

Or you could contact Sustain and see if they have any information?
www.sustainweb.org/childrensfoodcampaign/

You could suggest that the school could get their own chickens.

I'd be very interested to hear how you get on.

[olivertulliver]

I know, I know there are bigger things, but this is the ethical living bit!

It's just that I would never dream of buying battery farmed eggs; I'd rather go without. I object to the fact that I am in a roundabout way, being made to support this cruel practice.

And whilst it's great that the school provide some basics for food tech (we have to send in things like meat or fruit), we do make an additional contribution for it. This is only £10 per year and I would be happy to increase this in order to cover the extra costs of buying ethically sourced eggs.

Or! I would welcome the option to supply my own eggs for my son (whether they'd make it to school in tact is another issue!).

Roll on the EU ban in battery cages..

Will check out Sustain link, thanks Sarf.

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

not acceptable.
I would get stroppy about it - send your kid in with their own eggs and say if that's not ok the child will not take part.
and I would probably put my money where my mouth is by offering to buy eggs for the whole class if necessary.

[Danthe4th]

I'm surprised you weren't asked to supply your own eggs anyway. I've got 2 at high school and have always had to supply food for the lessons only really basic stuff is stocked in the cupboards.
I can't actually remember the last time I bought eggs that were battery farmed, what is the price difference??

[nannyl]

I too am all for free range eggs. would never even occur to me to use battery (or barn) eggs.

I get most of my eggs from my local farm

BUT.... in your day to day live i exepect you do consumes a fair amount of battery eggs. (as ingrediants in shop bought things, or forexample as an ingreadiant in a restaurant)

Of course of you but every thing from waitrose as waitrose own brand you might avoid it, but im sure you eat at other peoples house where battery eggs may well be an ingrediant in something they serve.

The eggs from my local farm are £1 for 6, (and are MASSIVE) so 16p an egg. I wonder if suppling a school with loads they may cut the price a bit more?

I agree that its horrid to to think that school are supporting battery farms, but unless you are certain you never eat battery egg in any form, its a bit OTT to stress about it

If however they made them cook with eurpoean bacon / pork i would go ballistic!

[olivertulliver]

I'm not exactly stressed about it, but feel it was definitely worth mentioning. Afterall, many county councils' catering companies will now only use ethically sourced eggs and Sainsbury, Waitrose & M&S don't sell them or use them in any of their products.

I am sure I have unwittingly eaten battery eggs, although for my own use I try hard not to.

Without wanting to appear too much like a lentil weaver, I have e-mailed the school to say I will provide my son with eggs if he needs them. I took sethstarkaddersmackerel's to offer to provide the whole class with them, but my dh made me take that bit out as he said it would be patronising!

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

good luck

what does your son think? Me and my friends would have been kicking up a stink about this ourselves at 13 - teenagers are very keen on not being cruel to animals IME.

[olivertulliver]

It was my son that started this by mentioning it when talking about his day! He's mad about nature and science and he noticed how pale the yolks were.

He then, of course, looked mortified when I said I had written to the school!

I have had a nice (final) mail from the deputy head saying,

"Thank you for the understanding nature of your response. I think the compromise you offer is a sensible one and I will forward your request to the teachers concerned.

May I say I support your reference to the EU ban and hope, when it does arrive, it will be enforceable."

[GeorgeEliot]

You were quite right to stick to your guns. schools should be teaching children how to make ethical choices at every opportunity.

[ohappydays]

well done - this is the only way changes will be made
Some schools I know have become fair trade schools because people stood up for what they believe in - others have taken part in fair trade fortnight and swop some of their food and drink

[vintageteacups]

Hellman's don't use battery eggs so nor should anyone else!

Tell the school that your chilldren will be taking in their own eggs from now on.

However, I do wonder whether, when we go out for a meal to a mass restaurant chain, they would also use battery eggs - I assume so to keep costs low.

If nobody bought battery eggs anymore, there'd be no demand for them.

[KateeTheBump]

Unfortunately Sainsbury's do still use battery eggs in most of their products - if it just says egg, or fresh egg, its not free range - annoying as it means I have to buy the super expensive fresh pasta if I want an instant meal! I think its next year they are going to stop using battery eggs.

Glad the head was fairly positive!