School residential vegetarian/vegan only

Your children may well have struggled with whatever food was on offer if their sensory issues are that severe tbh.

Humans are omnivores. That means we eat anything. It’s not treating anyone differently. A meat eater can eat all veggie food. Unless your child has a very unusual heath condition no child needs meat that often

would you insist that a root vegetable was included every day ? That’s the equivalent-saying you must have turnip carrot or parsnip every day Is the same as saying there must be pork chicken or beef . one sounds absurd to you and yet the other doesn’t? That’s cultural - you are so used to meat being the focus that you struggle to understand that isn’t fundamental- just your norm

we eat fat to much meat to be healthy, the land needed to provide a calorie of meat is ten times that needed for a vegetarian diet - and that affects food availability and leads to hunger around the world , and we eat far to much meat to protect the planet from what could be the end of the human race in your child’s lifetime , it’s also very expensive

there will be other food that isn’t served in the trip - perhaps no avacados or no soft fruit like strawberries and raspberries- but that doesn’t fall on your radar

he is not being mistreated any more than a child who normally drinks cola every day would be mistreated if none was available

Because a meat eater also eats vegetables. A meat eater is in fact an omnivore. Eating vegetarian food isn't forcing them to eat something they do not usually eat.

A vegetarian doesn't ever eat meat. Forcing them to eat meat would be an addition. (And may well upset their digestive system, given that they are not used to processing meat. Not a good time to upset a child's digestive system, while they are away from home and parents.)

You are being ridiculous

It would have been a big problem for my two who have food sensory issues. For me too, whilst I am happy to eat a meal without meat every now and then a lot of vegetarian food is fake meat style or processed none of which I eat and I also don't eat cheese, pasta or grains.

I don;t think they have thought this out with young children.

You know vegetarian food is more than just vegetables?

Nobody is being treated differently, they are all having the exact same food. I bet if they hadn't mentioned it beforehand then you wouldn't even have realised. Pasta, pizza, soup, curry, chilli, pies etc.

For the record, vegetarians don't only eat vegetables!

As for the principle, of course it's different. Vegetarians and vegans do not eat meat at all, whereas I presume that your ds doesn't only eat meat/fish and nothing else? There are lots of "normal" foods that just happen to be vegetarian.

I really think this is a fuss about nothing tbh, and it sounds like you're just looking for something to get offended about.

If it hadn't been pointed about, they probably wouldn't even have noticed tbh.

Breakfasts of cereal, porridge, toast, crumpets, bagels, fruit, yoghurt, perhaps some scrambled egg and/or baked beans.

Lunches of soup, or cheese/egg/houmous sandwiches, or veggie sausage rolls. Crisps and a chocolate bar or flapjack type thing.

Pizza, jacket potatoes with cheese and beans, veggie sausages with mash and peas, pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, egg chips and beans, veggie stew and dumplings, macaroni cheese, veggie curry and rice, veggie burgers in buns with chips and salad.

Salad bar alongside every meal.

Sounds like normal kid friendly healthy basic food to me, and that's just some ideas off the top of my head!

Can you articulate why it is such a problem? Does it offend your moral code? Are you concerned about nutrition? Or is it just a case of complaining about something you wouldn't even have noticed had it not been specifically mentioned.

I have a problem with the principle of why meat eaters are treated differently than vegetarians/vegans

They are not being treated differently. They are all being treated exactly the same - they are being provided with a meal that they can all eat.

I do plan to send the school an email initially and request that they provide a rounded menu including meat. You do know that a vegetarian menu IS a rounded menu. Just because it doesn't contain meat, it doesn't mean that it's incomplete.

I think it's actually good for a child to see that there are alternatives to the way they live/eat/think. Why should the centre go against their principles just to accommodate yours? You have a choice whether to send your child. If you choose to send them, then you choose to accept the centres way of doing things. And I say this as a full on meat eater.

Maybe your omnivore child might learn that vegetarian food can be just as nice as meat dishes.

We eat meat most days but I really don't understand the reaction some people get to the thought of eating vegetarian food while happily eating a cheese pizza of a jacket potato with beans or tomato soup or cauliflower cheese... all vegetarian!

find it incredibly frustrating that you would not ask a vegetarian or vegan child to suck it up and eat meat for 5 days

YABVU for this. Vegetarianism excludes meat and fish. Forcing a vegetarian to eat dead fish and animals would be completely unacceptable. Your child presumably already eats some or all carbs, dairy, eggs, vegetables, fruit. They’re being asked to forgo something they like but don’t need. They’re not being forced to eat something they wouldn’t usually eat.

Are you prepared to withdraw your child from the trip if they can’t eat meat?

Cutting back on the amount of meat we eat is one of the biggest things we could all do to benefit the environment, so it's not surprising a sustainability centre doesn't offer meat, it would be odd if it did.

The "ethics" they refer to aren't to do with animal welfare but protecting the environment.

Either send DD or don't.

OP, you commented "However it seems this guidance only applies on the school site, so you can disregard it at a residential. While they are within their rights to do this, it does seem like quite a contradiction."

Government "guidance" isn't the "law" - it's only guidance and schools can follow it, not follow it and/or change policy at any time.

And arguing that it's akin to making a vegetarian child eat meat is nonsense and you know it.

Who knows? Your child might eat delicious vegetarian food and develop a more sophisticated palate. Residential experiences aren't meant to replicate their home lives - they're about giving children new experiences.

While I can see that some kids wouldnt be happy with this, it isnt true that it "only caters for vegetarians and vegans", it caters for all! Rather it is a good opportunitiy for the children to try a meat free existence and hopefully understand the reasons behind this place's ethos. My DS is a committed carnivore but even he could probably suck it up for a few days. My other (vegetarian) DS meanwhile would be delighted to not be singled out as the awkward one for a few days.

If it was vegan only I'd think twice about sending my child but the vast majority of children would be ok with vegetarian.

YABU. If you don't like it your child doesnt have to go.

An all vegetarian menu also simplifies accommodating other dietary choices such as halal or kosher. So i can see why a school residential centre would take that approach.

As a meat eater it isn't something I would get upset about.

You're not being treated differently. The venue are veggie/vegan. The school have voluntarily booked it. Your beef is with the school, who had freedom of choice to book it.

They may not have considered your preference, but your preference is not a protected characteristics under the Equality Act, whereas veganism is a protected belief under a court ruling.

Why not see what your child says when they come back? It might spark some interesting debate. I say this as a) i know the venue, it's excellent and food is delicious b) school has booked it so, realistically, its not going to change. Agree or disagree, meat isn't essential and a week won't damage your child's health. I say this as a meat eater by the way.

Will they be fed while they are there?

Yes.

Honestly however you word it you will sound ridiculous if you complain.

If you want your child to think critically, say nothing, send them, and let them form their own view.

If they won't eat then they can come home.

My DC would have absolutely hated this but I don't think it's equivalent to asking a vegetarian child to eat meat.

The venue are completely entitled to offer only veggie or vegan food if they want to.

from the name I’d presume that they promote green and sustainable ideas and therefore this is a fairly natural following from their ethos.

similarly some Quaker or Buddhist venues do not provide meat.

the year 6 residential is presumably optional.

sounds like the head has decided to make it a bit more of a learning experience rather than the usual PGL style thing.

possibly this venue also offers a better price - plenty of threads complaining about the cost of residentials.

I think actually this sounds brilliant - the meat they serve at these sorts of places is often the cheapest possible and there are various health and environmental issues with that. Showing children (baring any specific access needs like neurodiversity/afrid which it doesn't sound like your child has?) it will be great for them to experience something different.

Thete’s no comparison to a vegetarian child being forced to eat meat, op. You know this perfectly well.

Don't send your DC is probably the correct response.

If not, I think the meat / food quality at these centres is very poor anyway. By cutting out the pumped up with water overpriced meat might be healthier for your DC.