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Original poster

School stopping Meat Free Monday doesn’t make any sense

139 replies

Miriamfriend · 01/09/2025 18:59

Our schools trust has recently stopped being part of Meat Free Monday for school lunches. The school have said some parents complained about it.

The school is very focused on being environmentally conscious- crisps not allowed as a break time snack due to potential errant packets, single use plastic actively discouraged etc. I can’t see a single reason why a school or a parent would have any issue with lunches being meat free for one day a week but maybe I’m missing something?

You are being unreasonable- being meat free for one meal is not a reasonable request

You are not being unreasonable -being meat free for one school meal is not a bad thing

OP posts:
NuovaPilbeam · 01/09/2025 19:33

It depends what the alternatives are and if they are nutritionally good enough. The vast majority of school dinners are atrocious and the meat is often most of the calories. Thousands of schools also continue to flout the rules against sugary items, and provide a chocolate biscuit or the like (ive seen tunnocks etc) because they simply cant provide enough calories on the budget provided without resorting to sugar/puddings.

My concern would be that with a lack of creative effort and a weak budget, you could end with a vegetarian option thats lower calorie, overly carby, and lacking protein & B vitamins. Meat is a very nutritionally dense food.

Bushmillsbabe · 01/09/2025 19:27

As others have said, this may have causes issues for children with allergies,coeliac disease etc. My daughters school has just completely changed their menu, and it has been an absolute nightmare for her as coeliac. The new provider uses extra cheap meat, with lots of fillers - gluten. So she is having to become a vegetarian at school - which isn't an issue if it was fresh food - she loves fresh veggies etc more than meat, but they often have meat replacements in them which also often contain gluten, so we are now a bit stuffed.

GleisZwei · 01/09/2025 19:22

If there's meat free options every day then they don't really need to also do meat free Monday.

KnickerlessParsons · 01/09/2025 19:18

If they stopped using the term “meat free Monday” and just served up
macaroni cheese or something, no one would even notice.

DM (90) doesn’t like vegetarian food, but she’ll happily eat a meal with no meat in it if it’s just served up without a fanfare.

PamIsAVolleyballChamp · 01/09/2025 19:08

Miriamfriend · 01/09/2025 19:06

They’ve said it’s to do with some parents not liking it but didn’t specify why. The food choices on meat free days were not any more processed than offerings on other days ie not fake meat

Show quote history

So are they NOT allowing children to be meat free at all, or are they just not offering vegan/veggie meals only on a Monday?

Ponderingwindow · 01/09/2025 19:08

Blanket policies can create complications for students with medical restrictions on their diets. These students are often vulnerable to begin with and they should not be faced with additional burdens just because it is trendy to prioritize certain menus.

Not every restriction is going to be convered by the common allergen list. You need to consider every potential medical condition and every potential allergy no matter how esoteric when making strict food rules.

Original poster
Miriamfriend · 01/09/2025 19:07

PamIsAVolleyballChamp · 01/09/2025 19:05

So are they making the children eat meat on Monday? No vegan/veggie option at all?

Still a veggie option everyday but they’ve just stopped being part of meat free Monday where no one was offered meat.

OP posts:
Original poster
Miriamfriend · 01/09/2025 19:06

Theunamedcat · 01/09/2025 19:05

Have they costed it out and its higher than meat?

They’ve said it’s to do with some parents not liking it but didn’t specify why. The food choices on meat free days were not any more processed than offerings on other days ie not fake meat

OP posts:
ThanksItHasPockets · 01/09/2025 19:05

The issue is that 'meat-free Monday' on a school catering budget doesn't mean lovely vegetarian offerings packed with delicious seasonal vegetables. It often means highly processed meat alternatives, usually made with soya or other common allergens. It's possible that the parents who complained have children with severe allergies whose diets are already heavily restricted.

PamIsAVolleyballChamp · 01/09/2025 19:05

So are they making the children eat meat on Monday? No vegan/veggie option at all?

Theunamedcat · 01/09/2025 19:05

Have they costed it out and its higher than meat?

TheNightingalesStarling · 01/09/2025 19:03

What were the meal options like? It was often cheese pizza for example at Primary. Or fake meat, which isn't good for them.

Dramatic · 01/09/2025 19:03

I don't care either way, doesn't bother me if they're scrapping it or keeping it.

savoycabbage · 01/09/2025 19:02

I at one of the primary schools I go to for supply, they have a vegetarian menu every day for every child. They decided to do it because they can make better meals with the tiny budget without meat.

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