to show you these pictures of Danish children's packed lunches?

[wallyfeatures]

I've followed a few of the lunchbox threads and thought it might be of interest to mumsnet to see what is allowed and typically given to young children here in Denmark in schools and kindergardens. I am a member of a closed facebook group where Danish mothers share ideas on packed lunches. The photos below are a typical sample of what is given to children from 3+ years up. The food shown would be enough for lunch and a mid afternoon snack. Happy to answer questions about what is shown.

I cant believe some of the comments on here. So rude. I like looking at pictures from other countries to compare and contrast what children eat at lunch time. What is the harm? Its not like the OP is posting pictures of her own children's lunches.

Packed lunches only allowed on hiking trips and days out in Switzerland too.

Looks lovely and edible. What is a Kindergarden?

Looks pretty normal to me (Swede here) I read the fabulous Norwegian book "Lunch box" (original "Lunsjboks") by Siv Eide, a lot of similarly good recipies with lots of fruits and berries. Never crisps. Swedes, however, don't do lunch boxes for children, ever, ever, because there's always a canteen.

Sorry pressed post too fast.

Every child finishes school at 12.00 until 2.00.

They either come home for lunch, or they go to Mittagstisch or Kinderhort for a cooked meal. On some days they then go back to school at 2.00 until around 4.00.

They take a snack on for morning break t 9am called Znüni. (Slang for 9ers, like elevenses)

They eat this if they want whilst in the playground. Recommendations are half a sandwich or bread roll (Brötchen) or a piece of fruit/vegetables or a bowl of nuts!

While whole chocolate bars are a no no, bread with chocolate is ok. Can't give chilled or yogurt type things as it has to be an ambient snack.

Just food, like lunches in UK, Australia and most places then. Well done x

They look nice, but can you say they are typical? They are more likely typical of the lunches that Danish alpha mums who are keen to show off their wonderful healthy packed lunches on the Internet produce. It would be similar here. Mums who can only get their kids to eat white jam sandwiches and kit kats are probably not so keep to show it off!

We are in France.
I can't find DS1's (secondary) school menu, but today he says he had boulgour salad, quiche lorraine and fruit/waffles. His school has apparently got the best canteen in the region, and the staff all eat there with great enthusiasm.

DS2's menus are online for the month, so if I had time/ energy I could plan around them, but I don't...

Today: green salad, croutons, emmenthal ; sauté de porc à la moutarde with baked potatoes ; fruit compôte
Yesterday: vegetarian lasagne and clementines
Tuesday: Caribbean day: accras de morue (kind of fish fritters) ; chicken curry (carri poulet) with rice and plantains ; pineapple
Monday: celeriac salad ; tuna gratin with romanesco broccoli ; apple

No one has packed lunches, you need special authorisation for medical reasons.

Not sure if the answer about how they keep the lunch boxes cold was answered.

The school that my dd2 went to when she was in school in Denmark for 5 months had 2 huge fridges that the children put their lunches into. I tried suggesting to the primary mine went to, that they do the same but got shut down with loads of reasons (none really making sense to be honest) I liked the idea to keep them chilled. In summer I used to always put a frozen frube or water bottle in to keep it somewhat chilled.

In the interests of fairness and in response to all those commenting about the photos not being representative of what is actually given to the children in real life I did a fly by the kitchen bench in Kindergarden this morning on the way to fill up my child's waterbottle at the sink there. (Kindergarden is where the children age 3 to 6 go). The kids are free to sit at the bench and eat anything from their lunchbox outside of the normal eating times. This means there are usually several kids chowing down at 8am. There were about 6 kids sat there and through the grease proof and cling film in the lunchboxes I could see fruit, veg, rye bread and the occasional cheese stick, salami sausage, yoghurt and muesli bars. Not a packet of crisps, bar of chocolate, slice of cake nor penguin to be seen. So pretty much like a lot of you have been telling me is the norm in the UK. I guess I have been very unreasonable

We have that same purple lunchbox in a green colour. Actually we have two of them. They're great.

@neveradullmoment99 thanks, I was trying to just see what people thought. I haven't been in a UK school in 30 odd years so I have my own 'wtf' moments sometimes with the cultural differences here.

Oh, and I have to confess I have posted photos on the other thread of my own kids' lunches today. But have not posted the photo of the pile of PicNMix they have just demolished on top of hot chocolate . It is the done thing here to let the kids go wild with sugar on a Friday night and let them watch the Disney Show.

@Enkopkaffetak yes, I didn't see the question about fridges. Both kids have fridges in their institutions. Those kids going out for the day to the forest have coolboxes that all the lunches get put in. Today it would have stopped the lunches freezing!!!

my dd will have a ham sandwich made with brown bread, a frube yogurt, a small packet of mini cheddars or crisps, a few grapes and a banana ( or a fruit of her choice ) and a babybel or cheesestring. I think the lunches in the pics look quite nice but I do wonder how they stop the pate type spread from getting on everything or sticking.

@MusicToMyEars800 small squares of greaseproof paper is the answer. You can buy boxes of it the right size here.

I've only skimmed a couple of pages but IMO there's far too much fruit in the first ones. I limit fruit for the dc because of fears of what it does to your teeth, never mind your blood sugar.

No packed lunches at my children's independent school...just very traditional school lunches. Thursday (Roast dinner day) and Friday (fish and chip day) are the most popular with my two. They often have a "proper" pudding with custard to finish. No overweight kids at the school though.

I don't see the issue with grapes. My daughter has always eaten whole grapes (since 8 months) and she's never choked because she was taught to chew properly. She was also adequately supervised.
Don't see the point in this post TBH

I found this thread interesting, the way other people eat is surely interesting? My favourite bit of going on holidays abroad is going to the supermarket! I was always a bit dismissive about the cutting up grapes thing. Until someone told me that his friends had killed their grandchild by giving whole grapes. And on Wednesday this week I saw a child choking on the footpath as we drove past. It was horrific and I have been thinking about it ever since - would I know what to do with a choking child Not sure actually, I've read about it but never been taught with a dummy or anything.
So I am definitely in the cutting up grapes camp now!

I stopped cutting up grapes at 5 years until I heard about the 6 year old that died recently. Grapes terrify me.

Not speaking for Denmark but I'm constantly in either Switzerland, Germany or France, bags of crisps like ours just aren't available.

Can confirm, I don't recall ever seeing multipacks sold in Danish supermarkets. Means that when I crave crisps the result is catastrophic...

At my kids' state school here in Paris it's school from 8am until 3.30 or 5.30pm. Canteen, food made on the premises, veggie options, no packed lunches. Quite a lot of sneaking out to the local kebab house instead though, especially to assuage the (too readily-available, not even organic) weed induced munchies

Oh dear... I have just come from the Toilet at work left in a disgusting state which has become a Friday night thread...

Picture no 3 belongs on that thread, I think...

Really interesting thread - thanks. My kids aren't at school yet but it has got me thinking (mainly that I'd like them to have school meals and to try to choose a school that does good ones accordingly!).

I don't understand the "what's the point of the thread" posts. It's just interesting, no? What's the point of asking "what's the point?"?

I love this thread

Hate grapes though - Eveil murderous suckers they are

In do have a huge admiration for scandi though