AIBU to want the goverment to introduce lunch box standards to stop the food police.

[porkchop9]

First post on mumsnet after reading posts here for a long time. I'm a mum of 3 dc, dd8 ds5 dd3 and live in the Surrey.

Dd aged 3 does 2 full days at preschool, you pay £4.50 for the lunch hour club and provide your own lunch. Monday first day back after Easter Holiday and were presented with new lunch box rules/guidelines, there are some strict rules already in place but these new rules are beyond ridiculous. My opinion in general is they're your children and you should have the right to feed them as you want.

We do not allow sweets, fruit winders/fruit school bars/dried fruit (sugar content is high), nuts, chocolate, crisps, biscuits,cakes (homemade or otherwise), no chocolate mousse/yogurts or pudding, no processed food (including such items as ham, cheese slices, cream cheese, corned beef, chicken roll, sandwich meats with added water), no fruit yogurts that have been previously frozen, NO FOOD item thats been previously frozen, no tinned or frozen fruit, no chocolate spread or peanut butter.

There are plenty more items listed infact this update takes up 4 A4 pages. One other section states Food is checked for dates, whether it is edible and follows our lunch box standards. Food that is not suitable will be returned to parent in a clear bag with an explanation of why, if repeatedly provide incorrect items they will be charged £2 per item and your child will be excluded from the setting until charges have been paid

Today there was a parents meeting with the bussiness manager who wrote this update. She was absolutley vile to one parent in particular who ended up really embarrassed and near tears and yes I and several other parents did stand up her her. The business mangers issuse was the lady shopped monthly bulk buyed and frooze items such as yogurt, cheese and ham, her dc only had fresh fruit the first week of the month then tinned/dried after that etc, she accused the mum of damaging her dc health. The lady did explain they were on a tight budget and freezing things was the only way she could feed her dc a balanced diet as weekly shopping was out of the question for her family. The last time I looked and this was some time ago tinned/frozen fruit & veg was still 1 of your 5 a day. So aibu to think that a basic set of national guidelines would stop the pack lunch police.

I would say get together with all the other parents and each and every one turn in a 4 wk notice stating that you are all removing your children from the school due to this specific policy. And watch them panic.

Send your dc in with a raw fish and some uncooked eggs!

Agree some parents are utterly stupid and feed babies macdonalds and send crap in lunch boxes. My DS's school doesn't have enough guidelines and in many respects they are letting the children down as their lunch boxes should be healthier, establishing good life long lunchtime habits.

The bosses rules are a bit over the top though. I guess you could always send Greek yogurt with fruit, wholemeal roll with normal cheese or ham from a cooked joint (cheaper then processed slices) or a well made pasta or salad.

Greek yogurt has been processed and so has bread and cheese Various so they're all banned.

Think she should have made a list of suggested acceptable foods as it seems most parents are stumped for ideas

My DS had wholemeal pita with smoked salmon, nuts and dried apricots, veg sticks today. I'd really struggle if we weren't allowed nuts but of course would give them up if someone had an allergy.

Being as the £4.50 charge for lunch club is also totally extortionate and outrageous, I would be wanting them to provide the lunch for that type of money, not me to make it and send it in. They have you all paying twice there, at least.

It would be almost tempting in a way to challenge them to provide each child with a suitable lunch for that money. It should, of course, fall within their overly complicated guidelines, and you will of course be there to inspect on random occasions to see that it does.

Seriously though, get the email sent and start putting feelers out about other preschools in the area. Ones that are not run by twats.

I think the boss lady means processed to a lesser degree. So yes to cheddar, no to laughing cow, no to reconstituted ham, yes to cooked pork sliced and so on.

So, all the parent need to gang up - that is clear!

They send all kids in with reasonable yet 'banned' food. (e.g A ham sandwich, a bit of fruit and a home made piece of flapjack)

I fail to see how the staff would have the time to police EVERY lunch, inspect it, check all dates and "edibility" status, then confiscate as approprite, bag up the food, then write fines for every piece of contraband (would you get a fine for each slice of pre-frozen and now defrosted bread in the sandwich for example?) and watch the kids go hungry?

Surely the admin would be a nightmare? Having o chase up the fines? Write the letters each day? someone keeping a tally on the cash? Having a list of allowed/banned children each sitting? Explaining to the child "No, you can't eat your lunch, your mummy has to pay her fine"

various Perhaps, but her attitude stinks! She accused a aprent of damaging a childs health by giving them tinned fruit?!!

How can she/the staff on duty know if food has been pre-frozen? they can't! So it's a silly rule to impose because you just can't police that! You would never know if the roll to make a sandwich had been frozen previously or not by looking at it?

And what 'level of processing is acceptable to? Can you send a child in with supermarket sliced bread? Or is that too processed? Should they only have 'bakery' bread? Saying "no processed food" is as vague as saying "no cooked food"

Get your kid out. Quite apart from the ludicrous food rules, the way she spoke to the other parent is completely unacceptable and makes me worry how she speaks to the children.

Bloody ridiculous.

I think you need a parent revolt! Have a meeting, tell her your collective rules and stand firm. I am all for healthy packed lunches, but that is utterly ridiculous.

You can't reason with a person that issues four sides of A4 paper instructions on lunch box contents.

If the BM can speak to a parent as she did at the meeting in that manner, imagine how she speaks to children when their parents cannot hear.

I would find an alternative setting, explain precisely why, and copy in Ofsted.

I also imagine you will not be alone.

Shock! Madness!

Wtf!!! Contact OFSTED and lodge a complaint, can pre schools really dictate what kids eat?
Sounds bonkers!! Loads of 3 year old I know are really picky eaters!

I'd send in an empty lunchbox and state you've sent air for your child - the only thing this woman deems acceptable. Then send my £2 in and tell them to feed my child on that if they can do better.

I get some guidelines are needed if parents are sending crap daily - it's all part of week being standards - but to ban literally every food is beyond the norm.

My DS is told to eat dried fruit etc because of his bowel problems.

Reading your first post it sounds like the business manager has a personal problem with that one particular parent, whom I feel very sorry for, and is effectively bullying her through the medium of the list. I.suggest you get together as a group and all send in written complaints copied to ofsted and the local paper. Clearly the manager has no concept of how costly it is to feed a family

I haven't read this thread OP but wouldn't your suggestion be a virtual charter for the Lunchbox Police ?

why should op leave and have the upset of moving DC though, i wouldn't i would fight her to remove the ridiculous list, cant see a single person agreeing with the menu. All the parents who are against it just send in a sensible lunch and refuse to pay her fine, whats she going to do, risk loosing a load of kids and loads of bad feedback.

Turtle I live in Kingswood Surrey, dc are not in the local school yet as moved here last summer and couldn't get places for both children, the pre school in question is in the KT postcode. DH rang pre school and requested a meeting to discuss the new guidelines, he had one this evening just after 6pm as she wouldn't see him until the after school club had finished, will update later on when dh returns. There aren't many children that do the lunchtime club most children do fixed mornings or afternoons about 15 tops.

Oh my, your DH went in person for a meeting? Definitely curious to see how this turns out.

awaiting update with popcorn and other edible contraband

That's terrible. I'm struck by the financial implications of providing only the food allowed. It would almost certainly be impossible for parents on low incomes!

My Dc done 3 full day's but they had a chef/cook and no packed lunches at nursery unless there was a reason

I'm gobsmacked at the list. I would definitely be asking who drew up these guidelines and what their nutritional qualifications were.

I work in a school and deal with lunch duties as part of my role. I have no problems with ham processed or off the bone as long as its eaten. My only issue are kids that come in with a chocolate coated lunch box (basically choc spread butties, choc yogurt, choc milk, choc bar in the box and nothing else).
Had no probs eating whatever was served up as school dinner when on that so couldn't be excused.
I don't see the harm in a little bit of choc or cake as long as they eat their sandwiches.
No fizzy drinks or left over take aways allowed here though and that is enforced.