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Original poster

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

466 replies

blubberball · 29/03/2017 09:55

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.

OP posts:
JustDanceAddict · 30/03/2017 19:48

At my kids' school - secondary - you use a thumb print to pay for lunch so no-one knows whose on free dinners. Was same in primary in that you paid upfront per half-term so no-one was the wiser.

MrsHathaway · 30/03/2017 19:54

I think it would be a huge success worldwide.

It would be fairly pointless at schools with narrow catchments where most of the children are equally well (or equally badly) fed. I think allergy issues would prevent it in many British schools too.

But it reminds me that my school did a weekly event during Lent where we paid the usual money but were served very cheap food (bean soup and bread). The difference between the cost and the charge was given to charity.

Believeitornot · 30/03/2017 20:01

The reason doesn't matter.

There are people who cannot afford decent food and clothing for their children full stop.

Why do we need shameful lunch box inspections to know that?

Why do we need to then pass public judgement?

I was one of those children once. My mum was a single mum who had a low income. I remember going on a school trip once and she had to provide lunch. All she could make was sausages with rice as that's all she had in. She was careful with budgeting so buying bread/ham etc would have been a waste.

So i had the shame, shame I remember to this day, of only cold sausages and rice in my packed lunch while everyone had "normal" stuff.

I remember pretending not to be hungry so I didn't have to be teased by other kids.

I remember sneakily eating my lunch on the coach on the way home because I was hungry.

So whatever the reason for the child having Mac Donald's, I hope they don't have that shame. And I hope those who are judging are pleased with themselves. 👏

DixieNormas · 30/03/2017 20:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Carriecakes80 · 30/03/2017 20:18

Not every school does school lunches...The school nearest us sent home leaflets from the government when the changes came in about the free school lunch, and I was so pleased, and then the next day, the school sent a letter home saying "But we cannot do the free school lunches as we don't have the kitchens as they were knocked out to make classrooms years ago when the old Free School Lunches were stopped!
No, I would never send my child out with a cold soggy happy meal for lunch, however, nor would I go to the bloody extremes that they now go to, rifling through kids lunch boxes, taking out the unhealthy stuff, and telling people what to feed their kids! Yes, educate people, but where the hell is our freedom of choice!
Everything in moderation!

florencebabyjo · 30/03/2017 20:32

Just joined this thread but my initial thoughts are what a load of sanctimonious, judgemental claptrap I've just read. It's more lack of education around healthy eating and how to shop that may be the issue. We are not privy to the home situation/ possible mental health issues. Whilst not ideal in any way, it would fill up at lunch time and may have been all that was available at home at that time.
Might be time for a little more understanding as to the struggle some families face daily.

libbyb · 30/03/2017 20:51

There are also 'parents' to whom a Happy Meal is nutritious. Increasingly there are people who have no other nutritional references and who are just following the 'norm' as it is presented to them!
They get a 'meal' at a certain time and they are conditioned to think it was "dinner"
These children are far too conditioned to the world of advertising - and cheap food dressed in the name of a 'Meal' for their parents to not realise they are being conned and think their kids are being fed 'good food'!

libbyb · 30/03/2017 20:58

Fair play to you believe it or not!!
I would have been exactly the same - and can
confirm that I was!!
My grandson, however, never knows what he should have on the outings days and we just seem to load him up with everything. It all gets brought back except the drink and the crisps!

BathshebaKnickerStickers · 30/03/2017 22:21

I work in a school. I do a lot of pastoral intervention with our most vulnerable children.

1 - if there was a back story, the school should know about it. That's their job.

2 - Backstory or not, what in the name of all that is good and true were they thinking, sharing these lunches with THE ENTIRE WORLD.

bobbieee1981 · 30/03/2017 23:21

It's total lack of regard for the child. I know someone who fed her baby (12 months old) super noodles and other things that are not suitable on a daily basis for a child and her favourite saying is "I want an easy life" I was horrified when she dished this up for her son. He went on to suffer with terrible constipation and would scream when he had to poo. Is very small (and behind his class mates) for his age and is still a terrible eater at 6.

she would have sent him to school with this no questions asked, in fact she would have moaned if the teacher had told her it wasn't exceptable! so if you are dealing with an idiot like her then it's not poverty it's a form of neglect.

I no longer speak to her.

PortiaCastis · 30/03/2017 23:37

What's no regard for the child one lunch ?

kateandme · 31/03/2017 02:14

even if its not the cost factor.the fact is they are sending this.do they think it ok.if they do then eeek.but...
could It be special occasion and the child really wanted this as a reward.
do they not no how to cook
new they wouldn't get lunch so saved this
what behind this.
what do they have the rest of the time.
a one off then id think my mum was awesome haha
do they need our help in how to cook.what can we do for them.not put them in papers and on here as bad people.
they should no better but they don't so.how can we help

Mmest75 · 31/03/2017 06:21

I can think of many lunches that would come in way under 250
Aldi the other week, full cucumber, big bag carrots, gala apples all 49p each ...
A wholewheat loaf and a some cheese ( always 99 for slices on offer) and you've got packed lunches for the week pretty much!

Afreshstartplease · 31/03/2017 06:50

I would never do this myself. However working with children I can understand how it happens. It's very sad. Sad

I think there needs to be more done with regards info on feeding your child from professionals , hvs etc from the first weaning stages onwards

stonecircle · 31/03/2017 07:30

Aldi the other week, full cucumber, big bag carrots, gala apples all 49p each ...
A wholewheat loaf and a some cheese ( always 99 for slices on offer) and you've got packed lunches for the week pretty much!

Again, not condoning the happy meal, but the only thing my picky eater would have eaten out of that is the cheese ....

Mmest75 · 31/03/2017 07:34

Most kids will eat a sandwich ...
And to be fair that was just an example, there was peppers, bananas etc ....

stonecircle · 31/03/2017 07:37

My picky eater wouldn't eat any fruit or salad. Apart from peeled and thinly sliced apple - which he had at home as it would have gone brown in a lunch box.

Afreshstartplease · 31/03/2017 07:49

I do wonder how some children become such picky eaters. Is it things like sensory issues? Or have they just not been encouraged to keep trying things?

My eldest used to hate peppers. I still served them. He now likes them except for green ones.

stonecircle · 31/03/2017 08:00

Yes I wonder that Afresh. If I didn't have kids I'd probably think parents weren't trying hard enough. Believe me I tried very hard with my picky eater. It was never an issue with his siblings - there isn't a single fruit or veg going that DS2 won't eat.

Alfieisnoisy · 31/03/2017 08:00

Having worked in a school within a deprived area the "cold Happy Meal" did not surprise me in the least sadly. I've seen kids with the most bizarre packed lunches ...and I am not talking of children with additional needs here either. Children with chocolate spread sandwich, chocolate bar and nothing else.
Some children are fussy eaters ...and that's not always the parents fault. Sadly though some kids get this kind of lunch because the parents are lazy ...at 7 these children are getting up, getting their own breakfast and taking themselves to school because Mum/Dad are still in bed sleeping off to excesses of the night before. They are making their own lunch or taking whatever Mum threw together the night before. It's so sad to see.
Thankfully many of these children are also entitled to free school meals so tend to get at least one hot meal a day with a dessert.

Thankfully I've also seen amazing packed lunches from the same deprived area because most parents DO care and do make the effort for their children when it comes to nutrition.

Alfieisnoisy · 31/03/2017 08:03

Picky eaters are hard though. I knew a few kids like this at the school and the fact they were eating anything was a bonus. It's nothing to do with parenting and everything to do with the child not liking certain textures and flavours due to underdeveloped taste buds....as they grow this often gets better.

My brother was a nightmare as a child....the youngest of four children who all ate anything and everything. As an adult he eats almost anything but my mother despaired when he was a child.

famousfour · 31/03/2017 08:20

One question - people keep saying it - is yoghurt really sugary (plain yoghurt) - my children eat a lot of it!

Im always surprised that my DC gets a pudding every single day for lunch at school (and I don't just mean fruit). In a school proud of it healthy food regime. I'm an all things in moderation type person but this feels odd.

I never grew up with this - an English thing? (I'm foreign). Do most people have a sweet pudding with their lunch daily? If not then why at school?

To answer the question - I doubt a mac Donald's meal is due to poverty in the strict sense (affordability) but as others have pointed out possibly in the broader sense. Or maybe for any number of other reasons. I doubt anyone actually thinks it's a nutritious and healthy lunch.

stonecircle · 31/03/2017 08:40

It's nothing to do with parenting and everything to do with the child not liking certain textures and flavours due to underdeveloped taste buds....as they grow this often gets better.

Interesting point about textures Alfie. Until he was quite old my picky eater wouldn't eat any meal where the foods were mixed - casseroles, shepherd's pie etc. If I did a quick meal of pasta, cheese, ham and broccoli, the other dcs had the cheese melted into the pasta and the ham/broccoli mixed in. DS had to have the ingredients in 4 separate piles on his plate Confused.

He's 18 now but still funny about how food feels. He doesn't like yoghurt with fruit in it because it 'feels slimy'.

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 31/03/2017 08:54

Re fussy eaters:
I have one who will eat 15 foods in total (I counted!), most of the beige.
The other one will eat anything: pickles straight from the jar, quesadillas, leafy veg, anything!
Of the two, the fussy child is the more cautious personality in general. I think a lot of it is just feeling safe with the familiar

Afreshstartplease · 31/03/2017 09:07

I wasn't suggesting that all parents of picky eaters don't persevere with encouraging their child to try things. But I do think this is definitely the issue in some cases where parents will just play it safe and serve up food they know the child will expect and never bother to encourage them to try things.

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