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.

Excusing what?

Portia made an excellent point. One of my schoolfriends was mercilessly bullied for being poor back in the 80s. Used to happen right in front of teachers who did fuck all.

muttrat

also there are free school meals so this really doesn't need to happen ever.

You are aware that the majority of people in poverty in the UK are the WORKING poor? They might not qualify for FSM but still be unable to afford £2 per child per day

Excusing sending a crap poor excuse for a lunch.

And re the working poor unable to send a half decent packed lunch,perhaps you could give us some examples of the sums involved( monthly wages and full benefits)that make this impossible.

I don't understand why a sandwich/ wrap is considered the only acceptable lunch option by everyone. It's so boring and not even that healthy. 😕

A Lunch being the operative statement.
A. = just one and nobody knows if it was replicated.
All sorts of assumptions flying around based on A packed lunch

www.itv.com/news/2017-03-27/parents-shamed-after-sending-kids-to-school-with-cold-mcdonalds-for-lunch/

What exactly is unhealthy about a sandwich or wrap and how are any of those on said head's complaint list preferable?

The teacher had no right to go to the media

You'll note the advice given by the head that had been previously provided( pleading ignorance just not acceptable) and the fact the Happy Meal in question was 2 days old.

Who said he did?

Most school letters are on school websites so open to anybody who cares to read them anyway.

The child may have food issues and often goes hungry so the parent thought just give her what she will eat.
Or it may have been the only food in the house that they could get together in time for school.

Just clicked the ITV link and that's the first time I've actually read the new report of this story. It only says 'happy meal' in the newsletter, does it specifically say fries and cheeseburger anywhere or has the media just assumed that's what it was? It could've been a chicken wrap and carrot sticks or just some cold chicken nuggets from McDs, both still fall under the 'happy meal' category. Personally I couldn't get worked up about any of those, I buy the little picnic style chicken bites from M&S for my DS' lunchbox from time to time, so not that far removed from some cold chicken nuggets.

I think I'd raise any eyebrow more at the Yorkie, mini roll and chocolate muffin.

Both scenarios needing a polite reminder that neither are ok which is what they got.

News report that should've been not new report.

4 yogs and a packet of Smarties didn't impress me much. Poor kid trying to get through an afternoon of schoolwork on the back of that sugar crash.

He did because there were a number of worrying packed lunches,he needed to illustrate exactly what was worrying him.

Thing is, those lunches are so obviously awful that I don't think they illustrate the message the head was necessarily trying to get across.

Someone sending in the classic nutritionally empty white bread thin ham sandwich with Quavers and a Milky Bar "yogurt" will go "ha ha look at that shit! At least my Tarquin has a proper lunch" because a proper packed lunch in the popular imagination contains a sandwich, a savoury something and a sweet something.

Whereas showing a range of "good" lunchboxes (either photos or drawings) pointing out that they contain as a minimum:

1. some protein
2. some vegetable/salad/fruit
3. some carbs

would at least nudge that parent into remembering to pop a banana in as well, or add some cucumber to the sandwich.

perhaps you could give us some examples of the sums involved( monthly wages and full benefits)that make this impossible.

I don't need precise figures to point out that:

• expenses don't always coincide with income (fridge dies just before payday and food spoils)

• benefits aren't paid immediately so there can be a shortfall while a new claim is being processed

• any sanctions or investigation mean periods without payment (leaving you short in the meantime) and aren't backdated if proven wrong (so you can't catch up)

If you read the letter he did just that.

Not quite getting why all your scenarios enabled the purchasing and storing of an expensive Happy Meal but not the scraping together of a sandwich,piece of fruit and a yogurt.

I can read, thanks.

He says what the guidelines are. He doesn't provide examples of good lunches, only crap ones. He says he'll contact parents if he thinks there are specific problems.

So Tarquin's parents skim the guidelines, scoff at the outliers, and assume that because the HT hasn't called them in that they're fine.

How much spoon feeding do you want?

He has listed the food groups with examples of food in each.

Not quite getting why all your scenarios enabled the purchasing and storing of an expensive Happy Meal but not the scraping together of a sandwich,piece of fruit and a yogurt.

Are you still talking to me? I was answering your very specific question about how people on benefits can have periods without money.

A Happy Meal is obviously crap. But I can see how it could happen in extremis. A hundred examples of possible at least vaguely defensible reasons a Happy Meal might be in the house when lunchbox foods aren't.

One fruit and veg every day in packed lunch,1 starchy food such as bread......

Not hard.