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...

You’re being very unreasonable. Yes compromise on brands but never on a families belief system.
Would you tell a Muslim family they need to compromise on their beliefs in order to use a food bank?
It’s no different for those with a vegan Belief system.

I would ask to get this thread deleted as it’s made the daily mail

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8693911/Mother-criticises-food-bank-users-requesting-expensive-Oatly-milk-chia-seeds.html

YABU

Please watch this invisiblepeople.tv/videos/andy-homeless-sleeping-rough-cardiff-wales/

Fair enough about expensive brands, I would be happy with a cheaper brand if I was struggling ect but you are totally wrong in saying someone should eat meat if it’s against their beliefs or principles! No one should have to eat meat if they are against it!!! YABU in that respect - I would never eat an animal again it is totally against everything I stand for

I would ask to get this thread deleted as it’s made the daily mail Isn't that shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted?

Ok - maybe some aduki beans! Wicked woman

I'm not surprised this has turned into daily mail fodder. I'd be mortified.

My favourite comments on the Fail

Everybody should be grateful and even excited to receive bacon!

Bit random, no one mentioned bacon.

The idea of a foodbank, is to supply the bare necessities - not the barecheek luxuries!

Do they mean bog roll by barecheek luxuries?

More to the point foodbanks should ONLY provide vegan and vegetarian options to support the battle against terrible terrible animal cruelty and torture!!

I think specifying brands is cheeky.

But vegan food is a reasonable request for vegan people to make from a food bank.

"Everybody should be grateful and even excited to receive bacon!"

@honeygirlz you have made my evening. Crying laughing.

It’s up to you what you give.
It’s up to them what they eat.

At the end of the day the family are within their rights to ask for whatever they like. Donors can then decide to give it or not. If the items they've asked for are not forthcoming the family can then choose to a) compromise their principles b) accept what is offered- ie cheaper brand c) refuse and either go hungry or find another source of support.

Tip top journalism from LaToya not wasting a degree at all ,

Baked beans, rice, tinned vegetables, tinned fruit, pasta, pesto are all cheap and regular food bank items.

YANBU.

Vegan food is widely accessible for sensible prices and specialist food should not be on that list.

I say this as someone who has utilised food banks in the past.

As for the sarcastic poor people/peasant comments: STFU.

You need a FB, you take what's on offer, that's what everyone else does and they do so without complaint.

@LondonUnited

It’s not about morals though is it? But making expensive choices funded by other people? In an idea world I would get all my food from M&S but I can’t afford it, so I don’t. Or I buy the cheaper oat milk and soya yogurts.

Also, if the food bank is funding this then that surely means they have less money available to feed other families?

Veganism isn't always about choice.

As pretty much everyone else has said YANBU about the brands but YABVVVVVVVU in regards to the veganism .

In all honesty I'm not sure I think people who think like this should be dealing with vulnerable people who have had to resort to food banks.

If a food bank pays for two bags of food. One for vegan family. One for meat eater.

Vegan family specifically asks for Oatley Barista as it's best for Vegan children for calcium / fat.

Meat family gets tuna / fray bentos pie.

Both bags with all other ingredients are likely to cost the same once you've chucked in beans / pasta sauce / dried pasta / teabags.

I have thought this all along. If you are relying on freebies you should be grateful for what you are given. If you need and have alternative principals that cost money then you should pay for your food. Again will probably be flamed for it but whatever happened to beggars can't be choosers. I certainly wouldn't be complaining if someone offered me free stuff!

I have thought this all along

When and why were you thinking this about 'beggars' who take 'freebies', bustybetty ?

@bustybetty should foodbanks only offer everyone the cheaper proteins then like a value tin of beans? Or are meat eaters allowed pricy proteins such as tuna?

I'm a certified carnivore/omni but I do think some of the vegan hate comes from jealousy. We just know vegans are probably healthier and some resent it.

Foodbanks should offer basics IMHO. When we first got married we lived off baked beans, bread and pasta for a while as our mortgage took every penny.

Now this has been in the mail, im.suspecting OP is a journo and this never happened