To think if you rely on a food bank you may need to compromise your vegan principles?

[LondonUnited]

I’m a supporter of our local food bank and am on their mailing list. I received an email earlier to say that they were supporting a vegan family and were therefore asking for specific food donations, including Oatly oat milk, various nuts and seeds, specific types of beans, etc etc.

I may get flamed for this but I couldn’t help thinking that - allergies aside (and I have a milk allergic child so I do get it) - if you need a food bank to feed your family, you might need to compromise on diet slightly? For a start, Oatly Barista is lovely and all that, but Aldi or Asda oat milk is also ok and half the price. And that the odd bit of tinned fish may be easier to access from a food bank than Brazil nuts and chia seeds...

The judgement on food bank users is appalling. Many are employed in low paying jobs like carers, especially in London.

The whole concept of veganism smacks of first world privilege to me.

So the diet that uses far less water, fuel and grain is privileged? Amazing.

People seem to be assuming that vegan = organic chia seeds, ignoring how expensive meat and cheese is. A diet based on vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes should be cheap enough for an extra quid for a milk alternative.

"Those damn poor people with their damn morals!!"

Time to practice a bit of humility OP, and consider that "there, but by the grace of god, go I."

I imagine that as a Muslim getting food from food bank I would hope for vegan/vegetarian or fish or dairy rather than expect meat tins (which is what we do & have done when we were hard up - Muslim family) maybe the makes were suggestions because they are commonly known?

I think if you are hard up you may need to compromise on many things - if you can't afford more expensive lifestyle choices, that is just tough.

However, I agree with people who've said that living on non-meat/animal products is generally pretty cheap.

I've seen a thread elsewhere on here today though that says Oatly isn't very ethical anymore. Sad, because it's not a bad alternative to dairy milk (in coffee at least).

OP, I am vegetarian, have been for over thirty years, the thought of eating tinned fish or indeed any type of meat makes me feel sick the very idea of consuming meat for most vegans is disgusting

I hope that you don't fall on hard times and end up at a food bank and all they can offer you is food that makes you feel physically ill, as if having to visit a food bank isn't bad enough

OP, YABVU and you should be ashamed by your lack of humility not to mention blatant ignorance. It is NOT offset by the fact that you give to a foodbank. Ted Bundy gave advice on a suicide helpline

But I also think that it would be much better for food banks to just get donations of money rather than food, because that way they would be able to provide a more nutritious range of foods for a wider range of dietary needs. Please don't think that we don't cater for everyone. We do take cash donations, but we do rely on food donations as that is what experince tells us is best (and raises the point that we still exist!), we all have local shops, supermarkets etc that partner with us.

Sadly we have been going long enough to have all those bases covered! We know what works best for us!

As for getting a balanced diet out of a food bank bag remember, the bag content is designed by dieticians and are only intended as a crisis fix, 3 days worth of food. We don't carry vitamins or anything other than basic food stuffs.

For those who are interested a standard bag will contain:
Breakfast cereals
UHT milk
Long-life fruit juice
Tinned / mashed potato
Soup
Pasta
Rice
Pasta sauce
Tinned beans
Tinned meat / vegetarian alternative
Tinned fish
Tinned vegetables
Tinned fruit
Tea or coffee
Sugar
Biscuits
Snacks
Toilet rolls

We will add toiletries, feminine hygiene products, nappies, baby food and pet food if requested and if we have them available!

We (a non Trussell) also have a help yourself shelf where we put all the odds and sods that are donated, treats and the downright weird. If it doesn't go volunteers will ften buy it and take it home. That shelf may include fresh items, veg and fruit we REALLY do not do fresh meat!

If you are gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, halal we WILL be able to accomodate your dietary preferences.

Oops! Meant to say that the list is a standard Trussel list, most non Trussel banks include much the same - but their list is easy to find on line

I think this is the most depressing thread I've seen on this site ever. A family has reached such rock bottom that they are having to rely on a food bank, and you begrudge then a carton of Oatly? If you dislike the principle that much then don't donate. If you are willing and able to offer support then offer support that you know they will value.

Oat milk is easily made from Oats - its not about begrudging them its the entitlement of asking for it specifically by brand. Oatmilk needs nothing special to make it - oats, water and some sort of cloth to strain or a sieve

There is more than one way of eating, and eating preferences a very personal thing. What a way to take away someone's dignity by insisting they eat something they don't want to eat or they don't get to eat at all. Ffs.

Plus food banks round here often say they need more tins of chicken, mince etc. What is the difference in food banks specifying those be donated to specifying vegan products?

Im vegetarian, its not a choice.. if i tried to eat meat i would vomit..

Being Muslim/Jewish is a protected characteristic - being a vegan is not.

Actually, ethical veganism is a protected characteristic.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/03/ethical-veganism-is-a-belief-protected-by-law-tribunal-rules

I don't believe in the saying "beggars can't be choosers" so I think to appeal for help, for dietary requirements is a good thing.

However, as long as the items are comparable, there is no need for brands because it probably isn't sustainable.

I’m vegetarian and when I donate to the food bank I try to donate decent stuff that I would eat. I would happily donate the things requested, because if it was me in that situation I’d want someone to empathise. Oatly btw is way better than other oat milks. And poor people’s kids can be fussy just like yours.

In fact, where is this food bank? If it close to me (rather than in imaginary judgement land), I am happy to drop off some of the things they’ve requested.

'Oat milk is easily made from Oats - its not about begrudging them its the entitlement of asking for it specifically by brand. Oatmilk needs nothing special to make it - oats, water and some sort of cloth to strain or a sieve'

Perhaps those who drink dairy should milk the cow themselves. And there is no evidence to suggest that the family themselves specified a brand.

I really dont see what is wrong with them asking.

It is a request, not a demand!
Especially with the beans - some people avoid donating plain pulses and lentils because they are not always suitable for those reliant on food bank.
I volunteer with a food bank and the needs of the users varies- some people have limited cooking facilities and skills, so we try to give them food that can be cooked in a microwave. It would be pointless giving these people pearl barley or dried chickpeas because they wouldn't be able to cook them.
We also support some people who like to cook from scratch, so we try to give them ingredients they can use rather than Fray Bentos etc.
Other families have young children, some have children with additional needs, and it can be hard to persuade a fussy child to eat sardines and corned beef if they dont like them.

We get specific requests from people sometimes (in fact we ask them) and where possible we try to accommodate them. It is not always possible of course and the people we support understand this. Whats the point in punishing people? It takes the guesswork out of packing the parcels and helps people know what is best to donate.

I don't have any kind of milk and just drink tap water so I don't agree they need oatly stuff which my sons have and is very expensive.

Water is fine and tap water is free. Some put it in their oats by the way. you do not have to have milk in oats.

I couldn’t afford to donate expensive items like that and what I can give I want to help as many people as I can so I will stick to giving the 20p bags of pasta and 35p smart price tinned peaches as if it is good enough for me to eat then it is good enough for the food bank.

I try to donate to the food bank when I can. We don't have loads of spare money so it does tend to to be cheaper foods. I think I would feel a little put out if I got an email with specific brands but not requesting specific items.
When I shop I try to put in a few extra tins usually. Mostly veg, beans, maybe pasta or long life milk. I'd happily put in some Aldi vegan milk.
I'm a vegetarian and if I fell on hard times and needed to use a food bank I'd be upset and angry if someone told me to just a tin of tuna!

Kids need fucking milk Xenia.

How do you know the vegan family don't have a child with a milk allergy who will only drink oatly? You don't. That child could have eating issues or ASD.

The food bank also ask for other specific foods, formula milk for FF babies, halal, gluten free, nut allergies, dairy free etc. These people don't lose their allergies or health problems magically because they are poor. In fact, people relying on food bank are people more likely to have health problems.

Yes some people will be piss taking chancers, but for every person with celiac, crohns/IBD, a life threatening allergy etc. Who is enabled to eat without effecting their health, it's worth letting a few chances pass.

It sounds like the food bank are being genuinely charitable and not putting value judgements on their charity. It's not begging. It's what is filling the gap in our welfare budget because nobody gives a shit about poor people.

Plus food banks round here often say they need more tins of chicken, mince etc. What is the difference in food banks specifying those be donated to specifying vegan products? In order to be effective that's a thing we have to do or we would end up with things that take too long to cook, use up too much fuel and not enogh of the real basic foods we need for each bag.

Many people who donate have enough disposable income not to look in the tinned meat section of a supermarket, some may never have seen such a can, let alone have eaten the contents of one. If we don't ask for it we very rarely get it. So we ask, and we are as specific as we can be, so that people can be assured they are donating something that is needed even when they don't recognise it!

Which, thinking about it again this morning, probably is why the brand in the OP was specified.

Oats without milk is gruel. Fuck off advocating a return to Oliver Twist.

The other thing to say is that food banks vary in how professionally run they are. We’ve collectively spent 14 pages discussing an issue that may have arisen because someone doing their first volunteer shift transcribed a supervisor’s request verbatim instead of writing “non dairy milk”.