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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:
muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:15

dd has a friend who only ever has three pieces of fruit for her lunch. Parents aren't poor, far from it. They think its healthy for her though. She's like a rake and mother writes a blog about health and fitness.

There's all kinds of stupid.

MrsJayy · 29/03/2017 10:16

Well exactly 1scoop it had probably been sitting about cooling down in a happy meal box all night it is just rank

muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:17

"Untill you have sat there weighing up putting 6 quid on the electric for the week and working out which washing is most desperate as you only have 2 scoops of cheap powder till the following week don't fucking judge!"

I can and I will judge. Washing can wait. It is perfectly possible to buy cheap but simple unprocessed food.

ZilphasHatpin · 29/03/2017 10:17

Or of course could have been put up in a B&B by the council as emergency accommodation and have no kitchen to prepare food in.

Very good point! I hadn't considered that.

Agree the head teacher has handled it badly. The parents need to be brought in for a chat and possibly offered help from social services if they are struggling. In my area surestart used to run parent cooking classes. It was a deprived area and they had a lot of uptake. They don't run it anymore sadly but there may be programmes like this in other areas.

August1984 · 29/03/2017 10:17

Anyone in poverty/on certain benefits would be entitled to free school lunches all through school though wouldn't they? So doubt its financial poverty, more likely chaotic lifestyle meaning nothing decent could be picked up, combined with a lack of food education (as they didn't seem aware of how this would be perceived by the school). Even as a PP said perhaps an older sibling looking after a child.

Aeroflotgirl · 29/03/2017 10:18

No I don't think so, it might be lack of education and ignorance, also laziness.

Persianprincess69 · 29/03/2017 10:18

OMG people, why are you all judging them. We should feel for them and want to help them. Not Everyone is as lucky as us all to have an education and understand what 'healthy food is'
Who knows maybe slime bought the meal for them. Some people just have NO money and struggle to feed their kids.
The school should be helping the family, NOT embarrass them!!!!

MrsMackenzo · 29/03/2017 10:19

The issue here may not just be poverty, though - it may be neglect.

Aeroflotgirl · 29/03/2017 10:19

If the child is yr2 and under, tgere is no excuse, as they get free school meals.

muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:19

yes chaotic lifestyle

if mum and dad are drinking heavily or on drugs then they aren't going to give a shit about their kids lunchbox or filling in the free school meals form.

and if pride stops you from claiming free school meals but its happy to let you put a cold happy meal in your kids lunchbox you need a word with yourself.

CheWasABitOfAHomophobe · 29/03/2017 10:20

I don't think so, considering a (rare) BK for DH and me was nearly £20

I agree with a post up there which said that whilst you can shop and buy stuff for lunches which would cost per serving, it does cost more per shop though so if you've only a couple of pounds, maybe you've no option.

Somewhat hypocritically, I think this is a terrible lunch. At my children's school, 97% have excellent school dinners. The 3% are mostly due to allergies or SEN reasons. I would judge any parent who gave their child left-over happy meal in their lunchbox. But, last Saturday, I gave my children very greasy, reheated Domino's pizza for breakfast. Homemade veg soup for dinner if you were judging me on the one meal you saw. however...

muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:20

it is perfectly possible to judge - "this situation is wrong and undesirable"

AND help

MrsTwix · 29/03/2017 10:21

I think it's ignorance not poverty. You can make sandwiches for a week on £2.50

You could make pasta and something if your child doesn't want sandwiches.

All the real life skills are being left behind at school because of government targets and league tables. Children need to be taught how to feed themselves as well as how to pass lots of exams.

trappedinsuburbia · 29/03/2017 10:21

Its meat between 2 bits of bread how is it so different to a ham sandwich?
Granted the cold chips are taking it a bit far.
Lot of snobbery and no idea about what it really is to be poor on this thread.

Porpoiselife · 29/03/2017 10:21

Untill you have sat there weighing up putting 6 quid on the electric for the week and working out which washing is most desperate as you only have 2 scoops of cheap powder till the following week don't fucking judge!

I have been there so I am judging. There is no way on this earth I would send my child into school with a cold happy meal as their lunch. I can see no other reason for doing that than sheer laziness and ignorance on behalf of the parent. Its disgusting. I've been down to my last 2 pound before and managed to make a half decent packup lunch for 3 children with that

MerryMarigold · 29/03/2017 10:22

Our school meals are 1.95 which is less than a happy meal, but a lot more than a packed lunch.

RoganJosh · 29/03/2017 10:22

Maybe grandma treated them to McDonald's the day before but the two yr old was asleep in its buggy and didn't eat it.
Maybe they could just afford McD for sibling's birthday but then weren't able to get to the supermarket due to no bus fare and couldn't afford an online delivery.
Maybe they went to mcd and then OH took the food money for the week and spent it in the pub.

Maybe they hadn't realised the bread was mouldy till they went to use it this morning.

Who knows.

Aeroflotgirl · 29/03/2017 10:23

I agree, the parents coukd be leading chaotic lifestyles, if this is happening often the school need to contact SS as its neglect, and might be one piece to a very big picture.

muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:23

I agree with a post up there which said that whilst you can shop and buy stuff for lunches which would cost per serving, it does cost more per shop though so if you've only a couple of pounds, maybe you've no option.

I costed a meal for four for less than 2 happy meals.

I've lived on cheap beans and the cheapest bread from lidl, I've supplemented my diet with free apples left outside people's house in the summer, I've made nettle soup! I had no cooking lessons at school and my mum gave us shite. But I had a driving need to be healthy and energetic.

Gowgirl · 29/03/2017 10:23

Depends if you remember If you remember being called up for your dinner voucher really.
And clean school uniform and underwear is a must in my opinion. The happy meal is a snapshot, regularly could be neglect but as a once off is probably a parent doing their best.
I'm just glad I'm not reliant on the state at the minute as I think the cuts will continue.

MrsJayy · 29/03/2017 10:23

It is neglect it is not caring enough it is at least a day old take awayHmm parents in poverty get free school meals for their children not all poor people neglect their children

muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:24

*Maybe grandma treated them to McDonald's the day before but the two yr old was asleep in its buggy and didn't eat it.
Maybe they could just afford McD for sibling's birthday but then weren't able to get to the supermarket due to no bus fare and couldn't afford an online delivery.
Maybe they went to mcd and then OH took the food money for the week and spent it in the pub.

Maybe they hadn't realised the bread was mouldy till they went to use it this morning.*

Maybe they are scuzzy, chaotic, lazy parents!

MrsMackenzo · 29/03/2017 10:25

muttrat It's not always that easy, though.

MrsTwix speaking from personal experience, the sort of parents who would send their children to school with last night's takeaway as a meal are not the sort of parents who would bother making pasta in the morning because their kids don't like sandwiches.

muttrat · 29/03/2017 10:25

Lot of snobbery and no idea about what it really is to be poor on this thread.

I have been absolutely dirt poor and I still think giving a kid cold macdonalds is disgusting. Spending £3 on a meal was unthinkable for me at one time.

halcyondays · 29/03/2017 10:26

If their OH spent the week's food money in the pub, it's neglect.

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