AIBU to stop my children wasting food at the holiday buffet?

I think you’re teaching them a very valuable lesson, @constantnc

me either!

No, it's an excellent rule. We're in France, where restaurants and schools get fined for food waste, and it's the law that consumers are able to ask for a doggy bag. Restaurants give away food at the end of service to the homeless or similar organisations, or risk being fined.

if you feel strongly about it then don't support activities that are based on it, eg AI holidays

Not sure making DC meal times into a competition is ever a good idea 🙈

I don't think anyone is saying its "acceptable", just that it's a bit excessive to be thinking of hovering over a child at a holiday buffet presumably to say no, you've already got 5 chips, 4 spirals of pasta, an orange, and a grating of carrot on your plate, eat all of that first before putting another 5 chips on there.

I would supervise at dish up...and maybe introduce a fun game or competition on who wins first the least amount left on the plate and maybe a win for whoever tries a new dish

There’s food waste and then there’s food waste. Piled up plate and leaving half or more? Food waste. 12 pieces of pasta and 12 pieces of chips and leaving half? Not waste or an unreasonable assumption that you might possibly eat it all.

So food waste is acceptable?

Of course YANBU. They can try things but be mindful of waste.

Buffets are always a big waste of food because everyone is going for variety and therefore taking more than they need.

As for your children, I'd maybe supervise as they select but also....Lighten up! My god, you are on holiday and this is how you are spending your energy?

In general, if you are this focused on food, you run the risk of your children developing issues when they are older. I completely understand not liking waste, but for the sake of your long-term relationship with your kids, you need to seriously relax.

This.

I agree with you OP. I hate food waste. I’ve never been on an AI holiday but we’ve been to lots of Premier Inns with buffet breakfasts, and I always insisted my kids didn’t take more than they could eat.

My DC seem to have done fine with being taught about situational context. I think its good for DC to understand "theres a time and a place". They rarely wasted food at home, were allowed to go a bit carefree on holiday for 2 weeks, then easily back into try not to waste anything mode.

A week/2 weeks once or twice a year is very unlikely to create a habit.

We never go AI and there's no cooking and cleaning on holiday, I don't understand what people mean when they say this.

Hotel B&B (although the breakfast is likely to be still a buffet so would still be food waste issues for the OP, although I like the idea of the family tasting plate - go around together to get some bits to try and then they can go back and get a bit more of what they did like) and eat out later in the day. Most people wouldn't want much more than a hotel buffet breakfast and a full meal out,
each day, but there could also be ice creams, odd slice of pizza, drinks and snacks from the local shop.

Room is cleaned by hotel staff just like if you went AI. Likely better food and a nicer experience than a three times a day AI buffet (or less expensive than a la carte AI).

For all those saying you are on holiday, relax. Well habits are easily formed and this kind of thing is quite common on posts on here about childrens eating at home. Maybe if you practiced consistent parenting the children wont get so confused.

Yes you are on holiday and embrace all the new foods available. Taking one bite out of something and leaving half a dozen more on your plate is pure waste.

Although having read back and seen the childrens plates, i dont think they were particularly wasteful tbh. There are extremes to everything and this doesnt look that bad.

My husband is the same, he struggled with the dc not eating or leaving food, in the end he just ignored it let them leave what they didn't want, I am not a you have to finish your plate person, anyway I do think you have to try and relax about it,

I wonder if they are overwhelmed and overstimulated, reasturants can be busy and maybe they are just struggling with choice and eating, i know you want them to go sort themselves but I think it might help if you go with them,

Bit of a daft rule surely all that happens there is you'd split the full plate among any empty ones? Get a new plate and split it on that? Or just ditch it on the buffet table/hide it somewhere?

Jfc. Let them live a little.

If it annoys you then don't asupport AI holidays.

Your children may end up with issues around food if you carry on.
Waste is not a good thing no, but keep things in perspective. They are children, they are on holiday. Wittering on about waste and food will be so miserable.
Learning the importance of not wasting food will come. But you will have a negative reaction if you place too much emphasis on it.

There are 11/12 pieces of pasta and11/12 chips and 2 satsumas on one plate. That is NOT not controlling themselves . Come on now!

It would annoy me too. Food waste is food waste, holiday or not. There’s always going to be a bit of waste, but consistently taking more than you need is not on.