To want this stopped?!

[Notasperfectasallothermners]

Dd started secondary school in September. Loves it, really settled well - no worries regarding peers /work etc. However, had an issue with food tech last week where dd (vegi entire life) was given pre measured out ingredients to make biscuits, as dd didnt know what lard was she used it and brought the biscuits home. All dc sat and ate them, will admit they were nice! Until she mentioned lard and Googled it herself. Not a happy dd! Told her things happen and not to worry, not lovely to drop down in a heap this once sort of thing.
Rang the school to remind them she is vegi etc, mistakes happen - don't expect head on a platter etc...
Then yesterday she gets home, salad wrap for lunch, server wearing gloves to handle ingredients makes hers - after handling ham to the previous dc in the line! Rang school again, they will be speaking to the caterers today. Fed up.

Surely it's better to arrive at veganism incrementally, than never to start the journey at all?

Sasha that busy dinner lady should be using tongs. It doesn't add to her work load at all. No biggy, then only issue is that there's a high chance they will think like yourself, so will make it a problem, when it isn't.

& non of those things stink to me, I'm not an ethical vegetarian, i can't stand the smell of raw meat though & ham always stinks, cooked or not. You are nit picking & deliberately missing the point.

Your last point in the real world is ridiculous, but you know that🙄

I don't think it's up to the school to have to make special arrangements tbh, it's mass education not specialism.

I think if you have allergies or choose to be veggie or vegan then you should provide your own.

@babyccinoo i agree with you that a veggie salad should have any ham whiff in it. But you go on to say “I don’t think ham eaters realise how much it stinks to veggies” you can’t speak for all the veggies my husband has been veggie for 20 years and always comments how nice bacon (and prawns) smell when I’m cooking them

should not* ^

My husband is veggie, he doesn't need gloves changing but we both understand some people do -did your daughter ASK the caterer to changed her gloves? The caterer can't be expected to know which children can eat which foods when they are 12+

psychologically allergic

LMAO I wish I was only 'psychologically allergic' to peanuts!

Your last point in the real world is ridiculous, but you know that

your words not mine

Liney, yes my husband started because he just didn't enjoy the texture/flavour. He's almost completely vegan now.

He doesn't insist on glove-changing though I think it would probably annoy him to see. He works on the "what he doesn't see doesn't hurt him" principle. He struggles a bit abroad, we went on holiday to Poland once, all he ate was bread!

*Someone on the vegan board has a vegan friend who eats salmon. Apparently they identify as a vegan ethically but don't mind eating the nervous systems of fish.

I was puzzled by that.*

Me too, & unfortunately there lies the problem, too many flakes looking for attention jumping on the bandwagon & getting the rest of the non meat eaters a bad name. A bit like DDs supposedly vegan friend who happily wades in to cook & eat spaghetti here, or stuff her face with jelly sweets & chocolate, yet make a huge deal of her veganism at every bloody meal when we were camping. I had catered for her, but it got right up my nose having her quizzz everything, whilst stuffing her face with chocolate 🙄

Given the problems the world is facing with plastic waste, I think it’s disgusting that you expect the caterers to throw their gloves away before serving your DD food, just because she has a preference. Being vegetarian is good for environmental reasons, but that’s outweighed by unnecessary plastic waste if you’re as fussy as this! YABU!

This times a thousand. You're attitude is actually really disgusting OP. For anything other than a medical issue like allergy or coeliac disease, an expectation to change the gloves like that is waaaaay out of line. Cop on.

babyccinoo i agree with you that a veggie salad should have any ham whiff in it. But you go on to say “I don’t think ham eaters realise how much it stinks to veggies” you can’t speak for all the veggies my husband has been veggie for 20 years and always comments how nice bacon (and prawns) smell when I’m cooking them smile

Thissameearth yes, agree that some veggies don't mind and some like the smell. But most will prefer uncontaminated hands to make their food.

It's quite sad the number here who do not understand the use of a metaphor & take everything so literally. I suppose with that level of intelligence, no real surprise at the lack of understanding for the OPs DD

You also miss the point that meat STINKS of dead bodies to a non meat eater.

No it doesnt. You don't speak for all non meat eaters.

It's quite sad the number here who do not understand the use of a metaphor confused & take everything so literally. I suppose with that level of intelligence, no real surprise at the lack of understanding for the OPs DD

I think it's quite sad that you feel the need to insult other posters.

Schools have better things to do than all this. Never heard of biscuits being made of lard before. As for the gloves. That sounds a bit over fussy. IMHO. She should go on sandwiches if that's the case.

This thread is ridiculous!!

It doesn't matter whether the server knew the OPs daughter was vegetarian, basic food hygiene 101: different prep areas and tools for veg/fruit, cooked meat, uncooked meat, fish etc - they shouldn't be touching ham and salad with the same gloves on, they should either have two pairs that they swap over or should be using tongs!! (Really, 200 fresh pairs of gloves a day?? Get a grip of yourselves!!)

All those saying "being a veggie is a choice, religion is different" - no!! Religion is a CHOICE for most people in the U.K. and one choice does not trump another!!

and not all vegetarians do it because they don't like the mass slaughter of animals, I have a very close friend who couldn't give two hoots about animals being killed for food but the idea of putting something in her mouth that used to be alive makes her feel physically sick, and she is about as far from being a snowflake as you can get, it's a very real physical reaction so she absolutely wouldn't eat anything that has come into contact with meat!

My husband is veggie, he doesn't need gloves changing but we both understand some people do -did your daughter ASK the caterer to changed her gloves? The caterer can't be expected to know which children can eat which foods when they are 12+

funuffle Why should a customer have to ASK someone to change their gloves?! The caterer should work under the assumption that no veggie (or Muslim, or Hindu, or Jew) wants their food contaminated by ham or any other meat.

It doesn't matter whether the server knew the OPs daughter was vegetarian, basic food hygiene 101: different prep areas and tools for veg/fruit, cooked meat, uncooked meat, fish etc - they shouldn't be touching ham and salad with the same gloves on, they should either have two pairs that they swap over or should be using tongs!!

I agree. And it seems a lot of faff making salads on the go like this. No wonder they're cutting corners by not using proper hygiene - tongs, etc.

Fair point on both counts piglet

All the vegetarians/pescatarians & vegans I know don't like the smell of it.

My insulting comments was in retaliation to several others though, so whereas not ideal, if it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander & there is a lot of idiocy on this thread as food hygiene law actually sides with the OP, so any other point is mute really

Tell your daughter not to fret. The pig would have had a purposeful death, providing sausages and bacon. The lard was merely a by-product and surely you'd agree that waste prevention is the green thing to do.

I don't think you're being unreasonable, thay would upset my 10 year old vegetarian (his choice not mine!).

Not as bad as his dinner lady though, thet had no veggie options left so gave him a pepperoni pizza and told him to pick the ham off! He refused and another dinner lady found him a cheese and tomato one that the first DL had kept back for herself!

Religion is not just 'a choice', and for many people its completely bound up with their culture, family and community. People cant just change religion or culture.

I’m a vegan and still think it’s silly to worry about cross contamination from sandwich meat. I’m a vegan for the environment, so would MUCH prefer they didn’t waste another set of gloves by changing over every time they serve a veggie.

@babyccinoo yup I specifically stated I agreed with you on that point in my post.