School stopping Meat Free Monday doesn’t make any sense

I wouldn't like it. My child struggles with food. She likely has ARFID. Most vegetarian meals wouldn't work for her. There should be a meat option in my opinion.

Its pretty much impossible to feed my daughter without meat due to multiple food allergies. She has a completely bespoke menu due to the complexity of her allergies

Meat-free/ vegetarian at my DC's primary school either involved quorn or random ultra-processed vegan "plant based" not-food (because it's described as what it isn't not what it actually is). It has less in common with a plant than an economy sausage has in common with a pig.

With a low tolerance to soya, "plant-based" not-food is a bloody nightmare.

I enjoy a lot of decent quality naturally vegetarian food, but vegan is a pain in the arse. Literally. Thanks soya intolerance.

Meat-free Monday was a cheap gimmick green washed as environmentalism and the reality tends to be unappealling, low quality, processed stuff, not healthy food made with recognisable plants.

I have explained above, many meat substitues contain wheat/gluten. Throw in a dairy allergy and it rules out a lot of options whereas I know I can get a good meal if its meat or fish based. A healthy vegetarian diet is often harder to achieve for those with allergies.

Schools aren’t going to source local meat from local farmers! School meals are mostly out-sourced to private catering companies and run on a shoestring.

So why is it important to you that dc who want to eat meat are stopped from doing so?

Why aren't you more focused on sourcing local meats from local farmers rather than providing rubbish tvp?

I have no problem in principle with meat free Monday despite working within the meat industry and being 'pro' meat.
My problem is often the substitute in these setting is not more environment friendly, and is also often much more processed. If it was local seasonal produce that would great and I would support that but often it isn't. As a parent I would be complaining if my child was bring fed processed quorn instead of chicken for example.

Yes - meals here are £2.80 and as well as expecting it to be something child will eat, parents also regarded pasta with tomato sauce or macaroni cheese and the like as a very cheap meal they could make themselves for less than £2.80. I’m well aware of wages, energy prices etc but a lot of parents just weren’t willing to pay that for pasta and sent a packed lunch. They will, and do, pay happily for a roast dinner, fish Friday, chicken curry and the like.

Fully agree

Here, it's spicy chicken wings and rice, followed by fruit (or pastries at breaktime). If somebody's paying around fifteen-plus quid a week, they're going to want something available that the kid will actually eat.

I wish it were otherwise, but the gap between what kids will eat and what the powers that be would like them to eat is pretty massive, with schools stuck in the middle And schools are massively under pressure on meal budgets - the three big costs for a school kitchen are food, energy and wages (mostly minimum wage) and as we all know all of those have gone up & up.

Can you imagine if we started a meat only day.

there should be choice for all, every day.

My child is allergic to dairy and eggs so meat free Mondays would be quite restrictive. Veggie options are always covered in cheese and more often than not have some egg in it.

He's not school age yet but I wouldn't be thrilled by meat free Monday. At home he eats lots of fish, but I can't imagine a school serving him sardines or roast salmon as part of veggie Monday.

My guess- having seen all this from the other side- is that the school found that school meal take up was very low on meat free days, which schools can't afford, so they scrapped it. That's probably the real reason. IME vegetarian / vegan options in schools are pretty poor & take up is very low.

Meat free seems to mean "carbs and fat" here. Not healthy or filling or delicious. They have fishy Friday every week, which is meat free.

Why would lack of meat affect a gluten allergy?

And why does there need to be a non meat day? How does it impact vegetarians at the school? As long as vegetarians have their options and meat eaters have their options I can’t see why you’re upset. You seem to want ensure there’s a day where meat eaters must adhere to a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Glenkirie larder glenshee.

campaign to stop ultra processed food in schools and increase choice of fresh local produce.

I don’t get why there needs to be a meat free day, everyday there should be both meat based and non meat based options to choose from.

But why? If the dc want to eat meat, and there's a healthy option, why should they be prevented from this because of adults political agendas?

Every school in England didn’t collectively decide on Meat Free days. These directives, as well as the balance of food, is ordained by the DfE.

With a school menu, attempting to fulfil those requirements and making food children want to eat is a challenge that makes you want to lay down and weep.

Multiply that by several hundred kids, SEN kids with sensory requirements, allergies, religious preference, diabetics and coeliac children and children you know full well don’t get to eat healthily or well at home you get a better idea of that challenge.

I can tell you the crowd pleasers are Mac and Cheese, Cauliflower and Broccoli bake, Roasts, and Toad in Hole.

Tbh thats fine as long as there is vegetarian for the vegetarians then its fine.