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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to not get this about pack lunches..

295 replies

Butterflykissess · 19/06/2018 19:15

son today was told in school he is not allowed to eat oreos at lunch time. as they are "chocolate." its hardly a flaming mars bar! and considering on the school menu os chocolate cake, ice cream etc. aibu to think ots ridiculous?

OP posts:
PITA5000 · 19/06/2018 19:57

To be fair,

That cakes being served in school are made with whole grains and low sugar recipes. They often have fruit or veg grated into the mix. So they are perhaps a bit better than an Oreo.

mustbemad17 · 19/06/2018 19:57

We have the no nuts rule including nutella, i think that's a very basic rule that parents would be idiots to ignore tbh.

A lot of people do mention that some kids turn up with really unhealthy pack ups...to me that needs bringing up with the parents rather than everyone being penalised, especially if a regular thing.

DD had a really dodgy virus that knocked her on her arse a few months ago, it took ages to get her right. The GP basically said let her eat what she will eat rather than focusing on 'good' food - her pack ups were a kids' dream for about a week! Had to do a lot of explaining over that one

Butterflykissess · 19/06/2018 19:58

but its not just chocolate cake. its icecream aswell, chocolate mousse etc. ive checked the menu.

OP posts:
Grasslands · 19/06/2018 19:58

Are the white vanilla ones okay??

dementedpixie · 19/06/2018 19:59

Oreos are not chocolate biscuits! They contain no chocolate at all

Notso · 19/06/2018 19:59

The school puddings are more than likely sugar free or very low sugar, I've tasted the cakes and cookies and they taste like sugar free rusks but I agree there's nothing wrong with an Oreo. I guess it's easier to ban anything chocolatey looking than have to argue why an Oreo is ok but a chocolate hobnob isn't.

My kids headteacher is fighting against having to police lunch boxes.

dementedpixie · 19/06/2018 20:00

Buy the golden ones instead?

BeyondThePage · 19/06/2018 20:00

Oreos are not exactly a healthy part of lunch - a treat maybe - but why do you have to give a treat during the school part of the day.

Just go with the flow - provide a healthy lunch - is that too much for the school to ask - lunch is the refuelling stop - chocolate biscuits are not a necessary part of that. Yes they get "pudding" at school, but those puds will have been nutritionally balanced sooooooooo much as to taste like sawdust.

(ex dinner lady - have seen enough bad choices to make your hair curl)

dementedpixie · 19/06/2018 20:01

I'm glad they don't police lunches at our school

kimber83 · 19/06/2018 20:01

first, i'm glad i am not the only one perturbed by the use of pack lunch

second, these sort of blanket rules on school lunch box contents is one reason i think for so many people being so fcked up regarding knowing what is and is not a healthy diet - putting certain foods into good or bad is completely arbitrary in most cases - i mean, is it fat content? number of processed ingredients? calories? glycemic index? salt levels? there are no good or bad foods, just healthier diets all round*.

schools are not helping our kids to learn a proper understanding of good diet with this crap.

dementedpixie · 19/06/2018 20:01

And they aren't chocolate biscuits!

halfwitpicker · 19/06/2018 20:04

Who eats oreos? Yuck.

Notso · 19/06/2018 20:04

...including coconut ( a nut, no??)
Despite the name coconut is a fruit not a nut.

kateandme · 19/06/2018 20:04

oh god it wouldn't matter if it was a mars.no good or bad food just balance.we need to stop forbidding foods and help people know what balance is.

halfwitpicker · 19/06/2018 20:04

It is packed

SoddingUnicorns · 19/06/2018 20:04

Well they’re marketed as “chocolate sandwich cookies” and they do contain chocolate. So......if it quacks like a duck.....

lastnightidreamtofpotatoes · 19/06/2018 20:05

This does my head in OP. At my ds' school they are so strict about break/lunches but school dinners are far from healthy. Every day they have cake, ice cream, sweetened milkshake or a sugar coated shortcake for afters. If any of these things were in a lunchbox they would be confiscated.

Butterflykissess · 19/06/2018 20:07

well everyone i know says pack lunch. not gonna bother changing that now.

anyway ds is very fussy and wont eat the yellow ones.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 19/06/2018 20:07

They dont have chocolate!

Chocolate Flavour Sandwich Biscuits with a Vanilla Flavour Filling (29%)

Show me the chocolate here:

WheatFlour, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Palm), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder 4.6%,WheatStarch, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Salt, Raising Agents (Potassium Hydrogen Carbonate, Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate, Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate), Emulsifiers (SoyaLecithin, Sunflower Lecithin), Flavouring (Vanillin)

Fresta · 19/06/2018 20:07

School lunches are low sugar and low salt. Desserts are made with low sugar recipes- rightly or wrongly.

bluebeck · 19/06/2018 20:07

yanbu to give oreos.

YABVVU to say "pack" instead of packed Grin

Snowysky20009 · 19/06/2018 20:09

A family member was a head teacher (primary), they had problems with parents sending in for example WHOLE packets of biscuits for dinner. Many of these children had recently moved to the country and parents weren't sure what was in a packed lunch really. Some did not understand what fillings would go in a sandwich etc. They then produced a sort of fact sheet as to what went in a sandwich- salad, ham, cheese etc, appropriate snacks- fruits, veg sticks, cheese cubes etc and what was not allowed- biscuits, chocolate, fuzzy drinks etc.

Some parents thought it was patronising originally until they heard the feedback from the parents of how much it helped.

On the other hand there was also parents who would send in a chocolate spread sandwich, packet of crisps, 2 chocolate bars, packet of sweets and a can of pop. Then you had the cold kebab parents (yes more than one). Cold macdonalds. Cold sausage in batter and chips. I could go on.

I wish I could say I made these up, but it's the truth. So when you have parents who do care about a healthy diet, are considerate of what their child eats, and gets slated for a small chocolate bar. It may seem over kill. But it's for the benefit of those who don't have this input.

Also remember their school desserts are made with limited sugar etc. It's nowhere near our school days of jam rolly polly and custard. I think if many of you were given school chocolate cake and custard now, wouldn't be able to eat it for the lack of sugar!!!

SoddingUnicorns · 19/06/2018 20:10

demented calm down, it’s only a fucking biscuit! I was going with the ingredients listed online, since I don’t actually have the shitey things in my house.

From the Oreo Wikipedia page.

You’re getting awful excited about biscuits, do you need a lie down?

to not get this about pack lunches..
Fresta · 19/06/2018 20:10

They have coco powder- things containing coco powder are generally considered to be 'chocolate flavoured'. Most chocolate cake doesn't have chocolate either- just coco powder! likewise chocolate ice-cream, chocolate milk, hot chocolate etc.

yogaginrepeat · 19/06/2018 20:10

Does my head in, YANBU. DC's school even stipulates bread in packed lunches should be whole meal (not sure how strictly it's enforced as mine eat wholemeal fine so have never tried an alternative!), and also usual no sweets, crisps, biscuits, juice etc. Yet when I look at school dinner menu it's pizza and chips, sausages and chips, nuggets and chips, all followed by ice cream, cake etc. Talk about inconsistent standards!