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...

BarbaraofSeville, I did specifically say "halal meat".

I absolutely would object to Halal meat.

it makes me sad when I see the food bank box in Sainsburys full of really cheap cereal, beans, and pasta. It always has a vibe of this is all you're worth.

But that food isn't only on sale for the purpose of donating to a food bank - it's what millions of families rely on every week. To put it another way, it's 'all that they are worth', even though they're currently fortunate enough to be able to buy it.

There's no such thing as a food bank for those who can only afford a trolley load of value food that gives them a free upgrade to a level or two dearer. Certain kinds of 'value' foods aren't very nice, but most of them are perfectly fine; many are identical in their make-up and taste no different from the expensive brands.

The priority for the poor - whether just about able to feed themselves and/or their families themselves or needing a FB - is to get FOOD. The image and aspiration that most of the extra cost goes to might be a nice luxury if you want it and can afford it, but the whole idea of big brands is to arbitrarily take extra money from the better-off for pretty much the same thing - poor families simply don't have that extra available to waste.

@Picanto

I absolutely would object to Halal meat.

So you would also object to ‘normal’ meat and kosher?

The majority of halal meat is killed in the ‘normal’ way, what makes it halal is the prayer. Kosher meat is not stunned, the halal meat that isn’t stunned is butchered in kosher establishments.

@Bl3ss3dm0m

Ok, to everyone who thinks I am bigoted and/or racist, you are just as entitled to your views as I am to mine. I couldn't give 2 flying F's about the colour of someones skin, or their religious, or non-religious beliefs. However that does not mean that I have to agree to every, or even anyone, elses beliefs as being acceptable. If I was still able to, I would peacefully protest about Paedophiles (mine, and presumably everyone else's on mumsnet, number one hate) who do not get long enough sentences in prison, and being allowed to live near schools, playgrounds etc once released from prison. I give donations to animal welfare projects even though I am not well off, and through social media I object to the keeping, and then killing of any animals in an inhumane manner, one of which is halal meat, whether it is for Jewish people, Muslim people, or anyone else who just likes eating food that has been farmed and killed with hardly any regards to the welfare of the animals. It amuses me, in a dark and sad way, that people on here have assumed that I will buy meat from a shop (be it a supermarket or butchers etc) without knowing anything about it's background. Also, I do not eat KFC or any of the other fast food 0utlets mentioned above. Yes, I probably have on occassion unknowingly eaten halal killed animals, or factory farmed chickens and eggs etc. but I do my best to avoid doing so. I AM a partial culturalist/religionist, in that I do not believe in boys being circumcised outside of decent hospitals, and without anaesthetics; I do not agree with girls being circumsised at all; I do not agree with the obvious belief of many (I have no idea how many) Muslim men that women are second class citizens, who have to cover their heads and faces no matter what the weather is like (having had to wear just partial face masks during lockdown, I now realise that it is even worse than I thought), and most of the other mums on here probably are aware of many of the other indignities suffered by Muslim women, and in countries where Islam is the official religion, the different laws for what a man can do legally, and what a woman can do legally are absolutely repulsive. By the way my dentist is an zIndian Muslim, and I am very fond of him, he is a delightful young man, who shows no signs of denigrating women, and is in fact very kind and empathetic. So if you want to call me any sort of negative names, go ahead and do so, but I have often questioned myself over the years, and I am not able to be ashamed of any of my beliefs, or lifestyle - except one, I wish that I could be a vegetarian. I tried for 6 months, but even with advice and carefully planned meals, my body got even more ill than it already is, so I do my best to be aware of the welfare of the the animals, and their products, that I eat.

Most halal meat is stunned in the UK, if you object to this method of slaughter you shouldn’t eat any meat. The only difference with the majority of halal meat in the UK is a prayer said after slaughter and pigs not being slaughtered on site.

Kosher is never stunned, yet you don’t seem to have a problem with kosher meat.

And you did say that you thought all halal food should be banned, despite not having any clue what this means.

Yes they could have cheaper non dairy milk.

@LadyH846
30p less in Sainsbury's gets you a similar product.

80p less gets you a 'non dairy milk', Sainsbury's own brand, that isn't a similar product at all, which contains maltodextrin and added gum.

Are you saying they should like it or lump it for the sake of that 80p?

Surely other vegans would be happy to donate vegan food to the food banks?

Some of us can only afford basic "cheap" products and it's very nice thank you.

I give to food banks the same food that we eat ourselves. That means gluten free products and also the basic range or the supermarket own brands. It's just as good as posh stuff and it's only snobbery that makes people think otherwise.

@MangoFeverDream
Sometimes store brands ARE better, sometimes name brands are better, mostly they are the same, if you have dietary preferences, there’s no way that store-brands are categorically worse for you. You just have to check the labels

Of FFS, I didn't say 'across the board', 'categorically', that all store brands are nutritionally unsuitable.

What I said - more than twice now - is that in the case of OAT MILK, Oatly and Provitamil are similarly good in terms of nutrition for young children, whereas in the case of Sainsbury's own brand oat milk, the clear statement is included on their website that it is not suitable as a main milk drink for young children.

The parents the OP believes are cheeky fuckers have clearly checked the labels, and they obviously know a heck of a lot more about nutrition than many on this board do.

A lot of people can’t tell the difference between store brands and name brands, taste testing has proven this over and over again. They usually come out pretty evenly.
At this point I am banging my head on my desk.
It's not all about taste and whether anyone can tell the difference. There are specific ingredients and nutrients involved, and specific differences in terms of nutrition and suitability in a balanced diet.

It amuses me, in a dark and sad way, that people on here have assumed that I will buy meat from a shop (be it a supermarket or butchers etc) without knowing anything about it's background.

I expect it’s because you revealed yourself to be so ignorant with your comments about banning all halal meat (but not mentioning kosher) that people assumed you were ignorant in other respects when it comes to how your meat is produced.

The reality is, you pay for animals to be slaughtered on your behalf. It’s very hard for you to claim any moral high ground over other people who pay for animals to be slaughtered in a slightly different way. If they’re cruel, you’re cruel too. The imaginary distinction you’ve drawn in your mind is simply a comforting illusion.

Yes! We have little problem catering for many different dietary needs and coeliac is one of the easier ones.

Like restaurants we have an allergies list to make it easy to select items and a coeliac bag, and any other different selection, gets picked into a different colour bag for collection.

Almost like we've been doing this for a couple of decades, or longer!

Thanks. I asked because I donate GF stuff as it's what we buy ourselves but I often wondered if it is given to Coeliacs or if it wasn't especially needed and was given to muggles.
Not quite sure what you meant by your last sentence about you doing it for a couple of decades or longer. I asked a perfectly reasonable question but your last comment seemed quite rude.

I’ve not read all the comments, there’s too many. But feel this post should be about those using food banks expecting expensive produce rather than cheaper brands. I don’t think the vegan issue has anything to do with it.

The horror expressed on this thread that food bank clients should get 'luxury brands' is a very depressing eye-opener.

Also the ignorance about nutritional differences between brands, and nutrition in general.

I should imagine the food bank has specified certain foods to ensure donators know what to get that’s suitable. Certain brands may use an ingredient that makes it not vegan.

@Bl3ss3dm0m

Ok, to everyone who thinks I am bigoted and/or racist, you are just as entitled to your views as I am to mine. I couldn't give 2 flying F's about the colour of someones skin, or their religious, or non-religious beliefs. However that does not mean that I have to agree to every, or even anyone, elses beliefs as being acceptable. If I was still able to, I would peacefully protest about Paedophiles (mine, and presumably everyone else's on mumsnet, number one hate) who do not get long enough sentences in prison, and being allowed to live near schools, playgrounds etc once released from prison. I give donations to animal welfare projects even though I am not well off, and through social media I object to the keeping, and then killing of any animals in an inhumane manner, one of which is halal meat, whether it is for Jewish people, Muslim people, or anyone else who just likes eating food that has been farmed and killed with hardly any regards to the welfare of the animals. It amuses me, in a dark and sad way, that people on here have assumed that I will buy meat from a shop (be it a supermarket or butchers etc) without knowing anything about it's background. Also, I do not eat KFC or any of the other fast food 0utlets mentioned above. Yes, I probably have on occassion unknowingly eaten halal killed animals, or factory farmed chickens and eggs etc. but I do my best to avoid doing so. I AM a partial culturalist/religionist, in that I do not believe in boys being circumcised outside of decent hospitals, and without anaesthetics; I do not agree with girls being circumsised at all; I do not agree with the obvious belief of many (I have no idea how many) Muslim men that women are second class citizens, who have to cover their heads and faces no matter what the weather is like (having had to wear just partial face masks during lockdown, I now realise that it is even worse than I thought), and most of the other mums on here probably are aware of many of the other indignities suffered by Muslim women, and in countries where Islam is the official religion, the different laws for what a man can do legally, and what a woman can do legally are absolutely repulsive. By the way my dentist is an zIndian Muslim, and I am very fond of him, he is a delightful young man, who shows no signs of denigrating women, and is in fact very kind and empathetic. So if you want to call me any sort of negative names, go ahead and do so, but I have often questioned myself over the years, and I am not able to be ashamed of any of my beliefs, or lifestyle - except one, I wish that I could be a vegetarian. I tried for 6 months, but even with advice and carefully planned meals, my body got even more ill than it already is, so I do my best to be aware of the welfare of the the animals, and their products, that I eat.

I cant even be bothered to point out the absolute racism that’s all over this rant!

I wouldn't buy nuts for the food bank. They're a luxury in this house. Presumably if a family has specified that they want nuts, any donated would go to them rather than be fairly distributed. I'd prefer to think they could turn up as a treat for any family, regardless of dietary choices.

Nuts are a treat for anyone (allergies and dislikes aside) but for vegans in particular they’re an excellent source of protein omega-3 fatty acid. Omnivores, on the other hand, can get these things from meat and fish (which are also luxuries).

I agree with you @SaltyAndFresh much fairer for nuts to be distributed to any family.

@Bl3ss3dm0m

It may soothe you to know that Muslims can’t actually eat all the lovely halal lamb in M&S and Waitrose. Maybe that will make it palatable for you. And it’s weird how these comments tend to come from me people who use the word #blessed.

In the case of New Zealand supermarkets, the beef and lamb may be from animals that have been slaughtered in accordance with halal requirements – but that product is subsequently ‘contaminated’ by the addition of non-halal ingredients or proximity to non-halal goods such as pork. It therefore becomes re-designated as non-halal and cannot be labelled as halal in supermarkets.

@SaltyAndFresh, your views on nuts as treats are bizarre, and poorly informed.

Do the nutritional aspects of eating never occur to people here?

@Pomegranatepompom

I agree with you @SaltyAndFresh much fairer for nuts to be distributed to any family

Wow, we are entering the realms of utter and complete ridiculousness now.

Nuts distributed to any family regardless of whether they might kill family members? Or regardless of whether food bank clients even have teeth?

Because the perception of fairness and not actually feeding people according to their needs is all that matters to you when it comes to food bank operations?

@SaltyAndFresh, that’s a weird presumption that only certain families are going to get nuts. Not how it works. It IS true however that vegan families need nuts more than those who eat meat or fish for health reasons. You wouldn’t presumably object to a coeliac getting first pick of GF products for instance? It’s worth noting that many vegans can’t process meat, in the same way coeliacs can’t process gluten.

Being coeliac is not equivalent to being vegan.

Very obviously I wouldn't want someone with a nut allergy munching on my cashews either.

But yes, nuts are indeed very nutritious and therefore should be made available to anyone using a food bank who can eat them, and not just those who specify them as a dietary preference.