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.

Its possibly the sugary things. Of course, all sugar is not equal, but we had this once with DDs school. Turned out the issue was that we had put a cupcake in (along with fruit and such) and apparently they are not 'allowed' to let kids eat sugar?!

Meanwhile, same school regularly gives out haribos to the kids, and when its someones birthday its not unusual for a cake (or 2) to be brought in to share with the class. But a homemade cupcake is a Very Bad Thing.

I would love the lunches that your dd has. Fancy making another lunch box op?

This is madness. It sounds great.
Also, I can’t see why the shortbread etc could be a problem. It’s in moderation with an overall balanced lunch. Ridiculous.

There was an interesting thread on here a while back where an article was posted saying that only 1% of something of packed lunches met government guidelines. Then it turned out that government guidelines were (more or less, I can't remember exactly):
Carbs, preferably wholewheat
Portion veg
Portion fruit
Portion diary
Portion protein
No sugar, no juice

And basically everyone was pointing out that expecting anyone, never mind a small child, to eat from every food group at every meal was just ridiculous. DD does NOT eat vegetables at lunch. Ever. But she eats plenty of vegetables at dinner so I can't say I'm int eh slightest bit concerned.

I'm pretty sure in your case it would be seen as too much sugar - juice and shortbread biscuit.

@Countmeout

My first thought was it’s an awful lot. I , as an adult, might struggle to get through all that particularly in a possibly limited time,

Oh look, the competitive under-eaters are out!

Presumably, if it was too much, op’s dd would probably come home with uneaten food in her lunchbox and op would adjust her portion accordingly. Also, it most definitely isn’t too much food for a growing 8 year old.

Just send in a note, here is what dd had in her lunch box, ive looked at internet and can’t fathom out which items I shouldn’t be adding - can you let me know ASAP so I don’t repeat mistake

OP Your dinner lady would have a heart attack at the packed lunches I used to see in Dd's old school in the US, most got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or Bologna sandwich with a bag of crisps or bag of mini biscuits and a Capri sun.
I remember going to a talk from a paediatric nutritionist one time, Dd was small (she's 15 now) She was saying how people overthink feeding kids.
They need the recommended portions of veg/fruit/protein/fibre daily but not everything at every meal. Sometimes not even every day. If you counted up what they eat over the week they balance themselves out usually. Somedays are protein heavy, others are veg heavy. The lunchbox police only see 5 meals over the whole week.

It’s a good job mine are all grown up. I’d tell them to mind their own business.

@NRatched

Its possibly the sugary things. Of course, all sugar is not equal, but we had this once with DDs school. Turned out the issue was that we had put a cupcake in (along with fruit and such) and apparently they are not 'allowed' to let kids eat sugar?!

Meanwhile, same school regularly gives out haribos to the kids, and when its someones birthday its not unusual for a cake (or 2) to be brought in to share with the class. But a homemade cupcake is a Very Bad Thing.

It’s the same thing at dc’s primary. They give children sweets, like end of term, non-uniform day etc, and when it’s a child’s bday there’s always either sweets or cake handed out. They also, regularly, do bake sales to raise money for the school. God forbid you send in a tiny cake slice with lunch though!

The juice would be a problem at my kids school. Especially if a few days a week.

I bet its the juice. Good knows why when cooked school lunches get dessert.

@FedUpAtHomeTroels

OP Your dinner lady would have a heart attack at the packed lunches I used to see in Dd's old school in the US, most got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or Bologna sandwich with a bag of crisps or bag of mini biscuits and a Capri sun. I remember going to a talk from a paediatric nutritionist one time, Dd was small (she's 15 now) She was saying how people overthink feeding kids. They need the recommended portions of veg/fruit/protein/fibre daily but not everything at every meal. Sometimes not even every day. If you counted up what they eat over the week they balance themselves out usually. Somedays are protein heavy, others are veg heavy. The lunchbox police only see 5 meals over the whole week.

THIS.

We've completely lost sight of what is normal. It's all extremes today. Either parents are feeding their kids nothing but crap or they're going completely obsessive, never allowing so much as a digestive biscuit, and panicking if their darling isn't eating vegetables at least 3 times a day.

I hope this is just mistaken identity, but I'm a bit bemused at dinner ladies taking it upon themselves to have a word.
To those saying it's nobody else's business, you'd be surprised and sad at what some people think is an ok lunch for their kids. Two crackers and a dairylea triangle, anyone?

What is the world coming to? Isn't this a step too far in policing your child's lunch? Especially as it sounds pretty healthy to me.

I've know children who won't eat anything except beige food.

It’ll be the juice. Most schools are water only. Personally I think it’s ridiculous.

Jesus Christ...what the hell? @Shinyletsbebadguys that's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! What happens if you bump into said child on a Saturday after having eggs for breakfast! 🤣🤣 I cant see how the school can dictate what people are eating for breakfast ! My dd has eggy bread or poached eggs on toast every morning before school and I wouldn't be giving that up!! She won't eat cereal or plain toast so I'd rather she went in with a full belly.

Our school only allow packaged chocolate bars not allowed homemade so they can check the ingredients and don't allow hummus so it might be those? Otherwise sounds pretty healthy

WTAF?! You shouldn't have to take a 'telling off'. Those lunches sound great, way healthier than the lunchboxes I had when I was at school. I'd have been really angry about this tbh.

It’s probably the juice everyday. 5 cartons of juice per week probably isn’t very healthy.

If you could only see what kids eat at secondary school in stuff they bring in (our kitchen is ‘healthy‘ and we have food cooked on site, unlike many, but hasn’t got anywhere near as many restrictions), you would be shocked. All the healthy stuff seems to go right out of the window. Seems to me that you’re giving your kid a great start, op.

Your packed lunches sound absolutely great and it makes me wonder if the teacher/lunch lady got names of pupils mixed up.

I do hate the idea of school lunch police, it never used to happen. Granted, some kids may not have been eating healthily but I bet that is still the case for a lot of them at home; they are at home every evening and two full days during term time as well as the holidays (and lockdown this year).

The very idea of somebody 'inspecting' a packed lunch smacks of Big Brother. I think, if I was a child at school, that would put me off eating at school altogether, I would feel so intimidated and embarrassed!

If a child takes sandwiches as part of their lunch, does the 'dinner lady' open them up to look at the filling? If so, what an intrusion!

However, the food which the op has outlined is perfectly healthy and nourishing and in her place I would complain.

Omg ridiculous, I only wish my #1Dds lunch box was that healthy. Yesterday’s lunchbox consisted of left over pizza, papa johns her favourite and left over birthday cake from her Dads birthday dinner the night before. As DH made it & I forgot to remind him, I can only hope he added a smoothie and yogurt as they are the only ways I can get fruit in her.

Some Contents of my DDs lunches - ham sandwich or chicken on a stick, crisps, smoothie, yogurt, breadsticks, popcorn, mini muffins or brownies, pack of haribos. She has a thermos lunchbox which she sometimes takes things like pasta or noodles in or leftover spag Bol or cottage pie. The only way I get veggies in her diet is blending them up in meals like this, or blending them into a paste and mixing it in with pizza sauce. She dose try to eat veg, she managed 3 small bits of roasted carrots last week yay

#2 DD is worse, she won’t touch smoothies or yogurt and isn’t at a point where I can get her to get past licking a pit of veg. She will eat school dinners so I’m holding onto this for as long as I can

Before I’m criticised for unhealthy children #3 DD lives off fruit (Not strawberries as she’s allergic, even though she loves them), raisins, smoothies, carrots, dairy free cheese sandwiches and dairy free pizza. Not fussed with other veg but will happily try it.

My DDs school would never dream of saying anything to me knowing she would go all day without eating when in school dinners.

Our secondary serve absolute rubbish. It’s sausage rolls, hash browns or crisps at break. Then pizza, baguettes or a fatty main(like mac cheese) and homemade cake (brownie or doughnut for example).
If parents sent that rubbish in they’d be shredded but it seems to be ok for school to sell it.

The juice? Although juice is really good for lifting blood sugar so if you needed to I would still send that in. Your lunches sound so lovely. Your DD is eating fruit and vegetables so what more do they want? I would ask for the specific issue.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that lunch! I'd definitely query it!

DS(4) has
Chicken or ham sandwich/wrap
Lentil or pea Crisps
Yogurt
Some variation of Apple/grapes/strawberries
Small apple or strawberry Soren loaf
Orange juice/fruit smoothie