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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have written a sanctimonious, snotty email to the council? WARNING - contains soft play and fruit shoots!

54 replies

AKMD · 31/08/2011 13:26

The local council opened a new soft play facility earlier this year as part of their drive to increase health and fitness in the town. The soft play centre is in the middle of the most deprived area in our (bidding for city status) town and is really nice and well thought-out apart from the awful cafe and vending machines, that sell sweets, fizzy pop, processed McD-style food and not a lot else. Everything is deep-fried, salty, fatty, sugary rubbish and I am really shocked at how badly it goes against the 'active, healthy' mission statement of the arm of the council that runs it (it's not outsourced). You also aren't allowed to bring any food or drink in, only consume what's available on site. I've been a few times with DS and it riles me every time so this afternoon I wrote the following email:

Hi,

I regularly visit the new [soft play centre] with my son and think it is a great facility but badly let down by the catering provision. Although a sign says that only food purchased at the cafe or vending machines can be eaten at the site, the cafe sells 'juice drinks', flavoured milks, sweets, crisps and highly processed burgers, chicken nuggets and ham sandwiches (all served with chips of course), while the vending machines sell sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks, with one vending machine having a handwritten option for water added at the bottom as an obvious after-thought. The 'healthy option' at the cafe is a limp salad consisting of lettuce and tomato.

I am shocked that a facility aimed at young children run by [branch of council] is offering such horrible, unhealthy food made with poor quality ingredients. What a wasted opportunity to introduce children in an obviously highly deprived area to a variety of tasty, well-balanced meals, drinks and snacks. Why Fruit Shoots when you could have fruit juice? Why flavoured milk when you could have real smoothies? Why sweets and crisps when you could have fresh fruit and flapjacks? Why fat-filled, salt-laden processed hamburgers and deep-fried chips when you could make your own beefburgers with fresh ingredients, in a wholemeal bun with a proper salad and oven-baked, straight-from-the-potato chips? Why not make chicken nuggets using real chicken breast and a tasty breadcrumb crust? None of these alternatives are unappealing to children and they aren't exactly hugely expensive either, especially considering the subsidies that go into the [x] area.

I really hope that the appalling food situation is revisited and changes are made in the very near future. Until then, I'll bring my own water and banana for my child, thanks very much.

Best regards,
AKMD

I know it is snotty and sanctimonious but AIBU?

OP posts:
southmum · 31/08/2011 17:20

Also if I offered a wholemeal bun to DS he'd probably shove it up my arse

itisnearlysummer · 31/08/2011 17:46

AKMD - That didn't sound sanctimonious at all. In fact, I'd have said something very similar.

southmum - You're right in that flapjacks and fruit smoothies contain sugar and often as much/more than chocolate bars, but... The fruit smoothies (I make) contain only the fruit/some milk/some natural yoghurt so they have all the benefits of those foods too.

The thing is, I don't go for the unhealthy is more affordable. We are on a very tight budget at the moment and our meals are healthy, fresh (with the exception of things like passata) and inexpensive.

Original poster
AKMD · 31/08/2011 18:45

The cafe is definitely run by the council; it's in their mission statement that they don't outsource catering.

I don't think price is so much the issue here. The soft play centre in the neighbouring vairy posh town has a great cafe and is actually cheaper to get in. it makes me cross that it is assumed that 'poor' people want to eat crap.

OP posts:
blackeyedsusan · 31/08/2011 18:50

supposed to be improving fitness..... by contributing to diabetes, heart disease and strokes? would laugh at the stupidity if it were not so shockingly missing the target!

yanbu

backpassage · 31/08/2011 18:51

I complained to a hospital I worked in once that all their food outlets sold processed crap that would be adding to the burden on the NHS. A few months later they changed their entire range to healthy food and I was gutted not to be able to get a decent bag of crisps in an emergency. All my colleagues hated me when they found out it might have been my fault. Surely there's a middle ground.

youarekidding · 31/08/2011 18:56

YANBU. I love the fact that instead of just complaining you have added valid alternatives to the email.

A local City centre adventure park (free) does a weekly event and has a BBQ. Sausages/ burgers and then fruit which is REALLY cheap. (5 big apples or large bag of grapes for £1 + ther fruits for £1). They let you buy fruit to take home so really encourage the healthy eating.

Doha · 31/08/2011 22:31

Local soft play here does sell the usual crap but also does baked potatos, chilli/rice, lasagne as well as healthy lunchboxes with sandwich fruit yoghurt and small box raisins--pretty good value as well

GwendolineMaryLacey · 31/08/2011 22:37

YANBU. It pisses me right off that this shite passing for food is the default setting for child orientated catering. God knows I love a burger but is it any wonder that children eat crap if that's all the Powers that Be think they're worthy of.

Lucy88 · 01/09/2011 10:13

Good healthy food does not have to be more expensive. A bag of crisp is about 40p - I can buy 2 apples or 2 banana's for the same price. A jacket potatoe instead of a bag of frozen chips is also cheaper.

We have a mix of crap and decent food at our local softplay centre and we alternate what we eat if we have lunch there. We may choose pasta or a jacket potatoe one time and the next time, we may have chips, finsh fingers and beans.

I totally agree with your letter and I sent a similar one to my local swimming/leisure centre. I think a lot of parents complained and a few months after opening the new cafe, at least half the options are now healthier - so there is a good choice.

OddBoots · 01/09/2011 10:26

Sounds like the one in the town I live in but I live on the 'Asda' side of town (if that means anything to you) so haven't been across town to see it yet, I hope they listen to you.

knittedbreast · 01/09/2011 10:30

if you are going to eat food it may as well be decent healthy food. the only reason they sell chips is because thats what they expect people will buy. i always assume the worst in places like this and never buy their food, wouldnt trust their sandwiches either.

stuff like cheese and onion on toast dousnt cost much, what about offering cereals? justtake chips off the menu and replace them with baked pots, little things that can be changed seasonily.

id love to help in one of these kitchens, no idea how you do it though

Sewmuchtodo · 01/09/2011 10:37

Hi OP, a friend of mine owns and large soft play facility (fab for birthday discount :) ) and they have a cost effective but healthy menu as in his own words 'I wouldnt let my kids eat some of the crap others serve'.

They offer things such as:
Cheesy fingers with veg sticks (a slice of cheese on toast cut up)
Homemade cottage pie and peas
Baked potatoes (nice small ones for the kids)
Picnic platter (crackers, choice of turkey/ham or cheese, fruit, veg and a small sweet treat)
Homemade tomato pasta bake
Homemade fish pie and peas
A selection of wraps
Hummous and veg sticks
Rasins
Homemade flapjacks, brownies and cookies etc

They only sell sugar free squash, fruit juice, milk or water as well as tea/coffee etc

NO crisps, choc bars or sweets are sold on the premesis. No kids meal is prices over £3.

The council have been taking the easy route.......to maximum profit and not to greatest health benefit. YANBU to have pointed this out!

hermionestranger · 01/09/2011 10:38

YANBU. Our local council does much the same. All the leisure centres are full of signs abut being healthy through lifestyle choices and the cafes all offer crap with crap with crap. This is the same centre that hasn't seen fit to fit a baby changing unit (the pull down type) in any of it's facilities and can't even be courteous enough to write back when I wrote to ask them why not! DS1 does gymnastics and they have 3 vending machines there. All sell crap, except the drinks maching, that sells water at £1.20 a bottle! It does also stock fruit shoots, etc.

pippilongsmurfing · 01/09/2011 10:49

AKMD - are you in the north west? Sounds like the new soft play near where I live!

Original poster
AKMD · 01/09/2011 11:02

pippi I'm Home Counties but feel free to copy and paste ;)

Sewmuchtodo your friend's place sounds great. No rabbit food or rubbish on that menu!

OddBoots I also live on the Asda side of town and shop there Shock - I wonder if we live in the same town?

OP posts:
OddBoots · 01/09/2011 11:14

:D We could well do, it's a big town. Have you tried the new adventure playground our side of town towards town a bit or is your ds too young?

Original poster
AKMD · 01/09/2011 11:16

DS is only 18 months so a bit young. Am curious now, will PM you.

OP posts:
Laquitar · 01/09/2011 11:18

Dont most of the places do a cheese and tomato sandwitch? My dcs didn't like the rest of the food so if we ate there we would have a sandwitch and didn't care what the others ate.
Tbh the reason i avoided eating there or even having tea was that the cutlery and cups didn't seem clean.

deliakate · 01/09/2011 11:20

I think its up to the parents not to buy that crap.

And I'm sure when I was younger, most leisure centres etc didn't have huge cafes attached. Where they did, my mum just didn't take us in there - no need as we would be heading home for lunch/tea there. Occasionally, we'd have chips after swimming on holiday, but why should sitting in cafes be part of the activity when you go out for some fun with the kids every time??

TheMonster · 01/09/2011 11:23

"Why fat-filled, salt-laden processed hamburgers and deep-fried chips when you could make your own beefburgers with fresh ingredients, in a wholemeal bun with a proper salad and oven-baked, straight-from-the-potato chips?"
This sentence made me smile. I agree with your worries, but the obvious answer is time, staffing and cost.

Laquitar · 01/09/2011 11:28

They could do olives, avocado and hummus for starter, baked seabass for main and fruit salad for pudding, no?

hermionestranger · 01/09/2011 11:31

I should add we do not eat there. DS1 always asks yells for food from the machines, but is told no. It's crap and expensive crap at that.

TheMonster · 01/09/2011 11:56

Sounds nice, Laquitar Grin

duckdodgers · 01/09/2011 12:03

Its not just about cost to the council but about maximising profits to, regardless of what a majority on this thread think fatty processed food sells in these type of places. They will make more money out of selling burgers and nuggets etc than olives, avocado, hummus and baked seabass for a start!

Yes it should be about a balance, my boys love home made meals but given a choice when out would always plump for the fried stuff with chips most of the time. And the choice is there because its on the menu, I dont get worked up about it though, they are active and healthy and thats the main thing.

Original poster
AKMD · 01/09/2011 12:05

Ooo Laquitar, I'll come to your soft play centre!

OP posts: