School complaining about dd perfectly normal packed lunch.

[Juk3]

The class TA came out to talk to me yesterday (from a distance) to discuss dd unhealthy lunch and the lunch box policy. The dinner lady assigned to dd raised it and the TA did say she wasn't in the class room during lunch so was just passing on info she had been given. She asked me to have a look on the website for the lunch box policy and try to adhere to it if possible, she was perfectly pleasant and I took my telling off but after reading the policy dd's lunch has not broken any rules. I try to make a variety of different lunches as I wouldn't want to eat the same thing every day myself. If I list yesterday's and today's lunch below could you tell me what's so bad about them as I just don't get it. I am wondering if the there has been a mix up with kids not that I will bring this up with school.

Yesterday:- grilled chicken breast with mayo on a mini wrap with lettuce, cucumber and tomato.
Carrot and red pepper sticks with a single serve pot of humous.
Pot of honeydew melon.
A tube yogurt.
A square of homemade shortbread.
A bag of sliced apple (she usually will have this at break).
Carton of juice

Today:- sliced boiled egg sandwich on 50/50 bread with crusts removed.
Pot of sliced red grapes.
2 mini cucumbers and celery sticks with a single serve pot of humous.
Small bag of mini pretzels.
A bag of sliced apple (usually eaten at break)
Carton of juice

She is 8 (9 in dec) in year 4 perfectly normal height and weight.

I see nothing wrong with that lunch but if I have to guess, I bet it's the shortbread. And didn't she happened to eat it during the break?

My dc's breakfast bar was confiscated once when he was eating it for break, only fruit was allowed. (fine for lunch)

This would piss me right off

DIET is balanced. Not pulling apart the sugar content of one meal. That's actually ridiculous.

If you'd put a can of tango and a snickers in that would be different.

I don't have children but had no idea that schools policed what parents send in for their child's lunch. Surely it is up to the parent what they feed their child, not some silly school idea? Both those lunches sound lovely!

Maybe the juice?

I put a single marshmallow in my ten year old's lunch box (one of those bento YumBox doodads) last Friday and was told it broke the lunchbox policy.

If she'd had a school dinner, their pudding was an iced ring doughnut.

She had another marshmallow today, they can swivel.

Could your DD have swapped/been given something by another child such as a chocolate bar?

Ridiculous. Balanced is healthy. Even sugary things (like juice) are eaten together in a meal, rather than dribs and drabs snacking. I honestly think the total exclusion/overthinking of 'unhealthy' foods is bound to play role societally in eating disorders and similar. Your daughters lunch sounds great.

Mistaken identity I think. I'm admin and would gladly pass your query on to the cook.

@ZolaGrey
I’d be putting a rocky mountain mallow in, just to be petty 🤣

That sounds so over the top, at my daughters school it's just no nuts, no chocolate bars (but chocolate covered biscuit bars are fine so Kit Kat ok, Mars bad) and no fizzy drinks. I'm surprised they have time to police 30 lunch boxes tbh!

I would just ask. It sounds fine to me (although rather too much like hard work) but who knows what arcane rule you may be breaking. You can't avoid breaking it again unless you ask what it is. When you look at the crap in school meals all this 'healthy eating school' posturing is total bollocks anyway so I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

I work in a school office (not today obviously) and it would be perfectly fine to query this.

We have had an actual fast food packed lunch brought in this term.

Sounds healthier than my kids lunch (which is a balanced lunch). They are allowed juice etc, a small treat (so a club par, or mini cookies).

The only time something about lunch has been mentioned to me was when I sent mini gingerbread in... As another packed lunch child in her class was allergic to ginger.

Main rule is no nuts. Cereal bar/malt loaf and fruit only at break.

Do ask them and, while you're at it, ask what nutritional training he dinner lady has.

Balls all, I imagine.

In my children's school the squeezy yogurt and juice carton wouldn't be allowed.

My nephew's school doesn't allow hummus and they are only allowed a 'treat' on a Friday, a sweet yoghurt tube would be classed as a treat.

I'd ask for clarification.

@SBTLove

I was thinking one of those sandwiches made out of marshmallows that are entirely sugar and E numbers, just to be a grade A twat.

Could well be a mix-up. I was called by DS2'S (year 5) school recently to ask me not to put peanut butter in his sandwiches. I hadn't, I don't have peanut butter as none of us can stand it, it was marmite on seeded bread

I've emailed to ask what the offending item or items were, will let you all know when I hear back.
The school have a water only policy in class but one carton of juice is allowed in lunch boxes but fruit shoot type drinks are banned because of choking hazard.

I'd suspect the juice, but my DC schools were all water only and that was made clear.

However, I had one lunch lady who was always unhappy when one of my children had a small homemade cake - it was usually healthy style recipe.

For other reasons - her friends were on lunches and she was struggling a bit socially having been put in class away from them- we put her on school dinners for a bit where she had cakes and puddings every day.

I find this all very bizarre. As a child brought up on school dinners, we had a pudding every single day, from age 5 - 18 (late 60s and 70s). Our generation had no obesity issues whatsoever, and we were active every day. It seems a waste of effort concentrating on a bit of melon or a yoghurt being sugary when cookery lessons have been slashed in schools and sports ground sold off.

Ignore it maybe? She’s your daughter, you are the parent and you can feed her as you choose.

I know schools are busy at the minute so don't want to wasting their time with minor issues.

They raised it with you. It's better to respond. Give them that list and ask if anything is problematic. Maybe they want you to switch the juice for water.

I'm so glad my dc's aren't primary age anymore. All this faffing...

Those lunches sound lovely - and perfectly healthy. My first thought was the juice too. That’s often discouraged.

Ours are fine with homemade cakes or flap jacks etc (although last year if you sent it in more than a couple of times a week you got a little "chat") but not with pre bought ones.

Ridiculous rule. What about cakes and flapjakes made from a packet mix at home or 'homemade' cakes bought from a farm shop? So it's fine for your child to have treats if you're a baker but not if you're domestically challenged ?

@LanaDelBoy
What's the thinking behind "no egg for breakfast"? Haven't heard of that before!

I'm assuming the child's allergy is really sensitive.
My DC could react from sitting next to someone who'd eaten peanuts or nuts for breakfast. It's how we knew he was allergic before he's never actually eaten them.