To think that packed lunch containing a cold happy meal could be due to poverty?

[blubberball]

I saw on the news the other day, a story about school packed lunches. At one school, they looked in a child's lunchbox, and found a cold happy meal. People have obviously been angered by that, and are accusing the parents of being lazy. The first thought that came to my mind was that they couldn't afford to waste the food from the day before. I know that the particular primary school they looked at is in a very poor area. I just felt sorry for them.

Once DD left her McD's cheeseburger and I ate it the next day from the fridge just because I wanted to. And I enjoyed every bite. Dirty slob I may be but fucking hell, it's still food. It's not a shit sandwich washed down with bleach.

Perhaps the Ocado order was late arriving and the nanny had no option but to nip into mcd's on the way to school?

So long as it's not every day I'm sure they'll be fine.

Surely it would be something from the breakfast menu, then? On the way to school?

All joking aside, though, I do think it's very different if this kid rocks up once with a happy meal, versus every day. Obviously.

Yes, a cold happy meal wouldn't be perfectly balanced in every way, but I think it is okay. Don't we all sometimes eat something a bit rubbish for a meal? What about all the threads with people talking about eating potnoodle sandwiches for lunch etc?

What is the problem people have got with it? Is it the low nutritional value? (Which I don't see as that bigger issue for a snapshot meal)? Or something else? Is it that people think it wouldn't be tasty? They are worrying about food poisoning? Or does it just somehow have bad connotations that a wrap with chicken in wouldn't?

Do we know what the child has for lunch usually? Maybe it was a one off and she genuinely had no food, or in fact, the child insisted on having it. Anything for an easy life.
I can't believe how judgmental a lot of you are.........until you know the full story and circumstances DON'T JUDGE!!!!

Must be lunchtime, because the more I think about that cold happy meal, the hungrier I get. Guess I don't find it disgusting!

Once DD left her McD's cheeseburger and I ate it the next day from the fridge just because I wanted to. And I enjoyed every bite

When I was a student, you would get a free cheeseburger with any Extra Value Meal. We shoved them in the fridge in our shared house and they would be eaten eventually by whoever was peckish next.

Desirable, no but who knows what the back story is. One thing is for sure, shaming people is rarely going to result in any kind of good outcome.

I have not read the whole thread so I don't know if this has been said already . I read this article as well , it was in the Kent online . The headteacher had put some examples of poor and unacceptable lunches that had been sent in they were
A cold happy meal
A crisp sandwich and 2 packs of crisps
4 yoghurts and a packet of smarties
A chocolate muffin , a chocolate roll and a bar of chocolate
I'm pretty sure that the school dinner price at this school was £1.79 .
I doubt it's poverty more than likely disorganised ,chaotic parents .

It's all very well costing £2.50 of nutritious packed lunch from a particular supermarket, but a lot harder to do so from what's available in the only shop within walking distance which in many areas could be a Bargain Booze Extra, or Shell garage.

Everything else aside, this is such an important point. I did some qualitative research on this a couple of years ago. Supermarkets rarely open large stores with cheap offers in tightly packed and poor residential areas. They open them in large spaces that require travel to/from which often excludes the people who would benefit most from being able to shop there.

Obviously that's not always the case, but many impoverished areas are also food deserts, and it can be hard to find anywhere other than the corner shop to buy groceries. They are not selling at supermarket prices.

This is an article on obesity, but there's a section that covers these issues quite neatly:

www.newstatesman.com/culture/culture/2013/05/our-big-fat-fear

Also, the 'I've done this, so anyone should be able to' argument is, I feel, a bit specious. I've done hard things that other people haven't - most notably leaving an abusive relationship - but that doesn't mean I blame them for not doing it. Their mileage clearly varies, for whatever reason, and sometimes people need more support than others. It's not a moral failing.

Yours,
A bleeding heart liberal.

If the child was in that much poverty that they were given fast food vouchers, living in a hostel/b&b. Then the parent should inform the school, to let them know the situation and possibly give help. Most schools would do whatever they can to help struggling parents.

A crisp sandwich and 2 packs of crisps

Man, I am SO hungry now, reading that.

I was a struggling parent and would not have told the school anything because dd suffered enough taunts for living in a hostel. I told a schoolgate Mum that's where we lived as she asked but the bitch broadcast my situation to everyone else.

Did someone actually suggest at the start of this thread that 2.50 could make a cheese sandwich and an apple!??

How much do you think a block of cheese costs!?

Ham is junk. Crisps is junk. Sausage is processed shit. Yogurt is fucking loaded with sugar.
Obesity doesnt happen from 1 fucking cold happy meal.
As to it being cold, tempreture is irrelevant. I love cold pizza!
I've sent my child with cold nuggets baked in the morning as a treat. 2.50 doesnt reflect poverty.
Some people are just so fucking dramatic.

I can't believe how judgy people are!

I have also given DC a cold hot dog for packed lunches really often...

.....however the context is that we shop in Waitrose, we usually aim for 8-10 fruit and veg a day, the hot dog is vegan so made from tofu, nuts and seeds, bun is wholemeal, it will include salad and some of mushroom / onion / home made ketchup / home made coleslaw or hummus.

Is anyone still shocked by my slovenly parenting!!?

My point is, you really can't tell what is going on in that child's life from one meal. Perhaps they live in a hostel and the child eats happy meals bought with food vouchers every day, or perhaps it's a well off MC family giving the DC an unexpected treat.

Ok so it's not ideal but it is just a snap-shot of one day in that child's life - if it is continual then yes that family need help and support for whatever the reasons are that that is the best that they can do for their DCs.

I CBA to name change but that could easily be me.

I am a LP on NMW, so the DCs don't get FSM.
I'm paying a mortgage (that is cheaper than renting) ATM so don't get Housing Benefit to pay my rent and so have to pay housing costs out of my income, which depletes my already minimal income further.
Both have SN so very picky about what they will eat.
My mental health is precarious so some days I can cope with cooking, cleaning, washing, making packed lunches, helping with homework etc etc and other days I can't.

If it were left to the DCs to fend for themselves as I was in bed unwell then yes it could well be that they end up with a cold McDonalds leftover for lunch.

However to the outside world we are what the likes of the Daily Mail would see as a respectable middle class family, I have a job and a degree level education, eldest DC has a car (paid for by GPs). Anyone can fall on hard times, financially, or emotionally and end up in less than ideal circumstances.

Poverty? Clearly not, since a ham sandwich and an apple costs much less than a Happy Meal.

But ignorance, laziness, couldn't give a shit, etc? Yes. I reckon any of those would fit. I give my DS1 a packed lunch every day and hell would freeze over before I gave him such a shitty, thoughtless, lazy, nutritionally poor lunch. Cold fried food? How disgusting. I can't think of a better way to illustrate to both him and the school that I don't give a shit. A cold Happy Meal for lunch really says it all.

Ham is not junk

Point is the poor child will be getting bullied mercilessly because the teacher put his lunch online. He/she will know who they are and so will his classmates.

I have a friend who used to be deputy head in an inner city area. She told me that pupils regulary had sugar sandwiches in their lunch box and that would be it!

I once fed my toddler nephew cheap (Findus or something like that, I can't remember) burger and chips. It was an emergency and that was all I had in. As a one off I can't see a problem.

Floralnomad do you know if that list is one child's packed lunches, or across the board?

Of course you can make a cheese sandwich and apple for 2.50

Bit I actually said you can BUY one

Ds who is growing like a weed did a massive session of sport yesterday and midway he and his mates went to Maccys. They worked out that it's much cheaper to buy three cheeseburgers than one Big Mac meal so that's what they had. He said it didn't even touch the sides. He's thin as a rake. That said when he got home he had homemade cottage pie with loads of veg and sweet potato topping. Had he come home to pizza and chips I may start to worry about his diet.