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...

although I disagree with imposing your own dietary beliefs on your children

Huh? Everyone does this. I am a meat water and my children eat meat. When they are old enough to understand things more they may well be horrified that I gave them meat... who can really say until that time comes?

Your logic is fine if your children are grown up, but whilst they are still actually children this doesn't really work. Children can't cook until they reach a certain age, nor do the food shopping. The really young ones can't even speak. Should I just refuse to feed my daughter until she is old enough to tell me whether or not she wants to eat meat?

@ZolaGrey you must be a vegan😂

having a job is standard.hmm. It’s not even close to a privilege.

Don’t misquote me. I said having a job which pays your bills is a privilege. A large percentage of food bank users do work, but their jobs aren’t well-paying enough to afford food on top of their other bills.

If you have a problem with that - and you should - perhaps you should dedicate your efforts towards campaigning for a national living wage instead of calling impoverished workers beggars.

there are loads of types of cheaper plant milk though, and they said a vegan family. Didnt mention allergies. Of course its possibly they are allergic to all other brands than oatly barista

I once passed a homeless man, clearly unwell and malnourished. I offered to buy him a cuppa and he said 'Oh yes, a Chai Latte please.' It made me smile that he asked for something specific

It's only a request. It isn't a demand.

Doeant everyone do this? Meat eaters usually raise meat eating children.

I agree to an extent, however meat eating isn't a restrictive diet in the same way veganism or even vegetarianism is.

I remember being in primary school getting lunch with my friend, it was sausage day and there were pork and veggie sausages. Now I did have the pork sausages but I know i was free to make my own choice, on other days i remember picking the veggie lasagne over the meat one just because i fancied it for example. Whether my friend was veggie because her parents were and that's how they were raising her. I distinctly remember her asking for the pork sausgaes and them saying something along the lines of 'afraid I can't give those to you darling as the file says you're vegetarian, but here have these ones' and giving her the veggie sausages. She was sad and I was so sad for her that when we sat down I gave her one of mine. That is parent's imposing their diet on their child and it just screams wrong to me.

I can agree with the 'If I do the cooking you eat what I cook' as that's how my mum raised me too, so feeding your child veggie food at home is one thing, but actively restricting their food choices out of the home like at school, seems a step too far.

Almost all dried pasta is egg-free and vegan so you're fine.

Ah, fab - thanks, DivGirl

@polnm nope but similar I think.

Of course everyone assumes this is the families list of “demands” but the food bank may have used the brand names because it’s easier. Weetabix is universally understood and easier to write than “wheat biscuit cereal”

*meat water = meat eater... dunno what the hell a meat water is but it sounds pretty minging

@nocoolnamesleft - what about skipping the milk altogether then (like someone would have done before all these types of milk were available).

I agree that being vegan is fine, just because they're having to use a food bank it doesn't mean they should have to majorly compromise what they see as their morals or choice; but no one needs a branded name like oatly. If someone is happy to donate it then that's cool, but other oat milks taste the same (I drink oat milk and have tried many), and if it's coming out of funding to buy food for all then that's not really fair. Plenty of people don't buy branded because they cannot afford to, or to save money for other essentials, so I don't think that's unreasonable.

I agree to an extent, however meat eating isn't a restrictive diet in the same way veganism or even vegetarianism is.

Our family is vegetarian (DCs veggie from birth) and we seem to eat a much wider range of foods than our meat-eating friends. I’ve met people who have never eaten lentils, beans or pulses, never mind some of the more unusual vegetables we are lucky enough to be able to buy these days.

We don;t object to supporting food banks. So why would we object to buying food that people in dire straits actually enjoy? Why would we actively want to punish them for being in poverty by making sure they get the cheapest version available. I have no objection to buying a chosen brand on request if I can afford it. And no objection to poor people daring to want food that gives them some pleasure and comfort when precious little else can. Don't be so mean spirited OP. There's no need.

Surely you would rather spend money on food people actually want nearly everything you describe is cheaper than buying meat and will last a long time.

@TheHappyHerbivore that’s what the benefit system is for. It tops up people’s wages when they are low earners.

I know the thread seems more focused on whether or not this family are cheeky fuckers, but just wanted to add that if people are thinking of things to donate to food banks then dried beans and pulses are fantastic. Everyone can eat them, they're packed full of nutrients, they're dirt cheap and they're very filling.

I fell on hard times a while ago, and sadly there were no food banks around but I found that big bags of rice and dried beans from the Idian supermarket were a God send. The first time I Went in I spent less than a tenner and I was still eating that food over a month later.

I wonder if they've said that rather than oat milk because people will know the brand or it's for a child who is used to it

When lockdown started I couldn't get food delivered despite having a shielding letter. I did over a month with no food shop. I did learn a lot, and that was that I appreciated the biscuits in the boris box very much, and I missed chocolate, cordial and bananas! I've always donated treat type stuff anyway but it really does make a difference. I ate what I was given from the Boris box and the council but it was so nice to be able to pick my own food again

that’s what the benefit system is for. It tops up people’s wages when they are low earners.

And that works perfectly, of course, judging by the fact that 32% of food bank users are there because of delays and fuck ups to their benefits. You’ll have seen the headlines about the smooth, unproblematic transition to UC no doubt?

Do you genuinely think that the minimum wage is enough to live on in this county, and do you genuinely believe the benefits system works perfectly? And if so, have you been living under a rock recently?

Nothing wrong with dietary choices, but choosing brands? I imagine a lot of food bank users would like Waitrose brands, given the choice. Surely the best approach is to have good quality, but inexpensive items, so the food banks can maximize how many people they can help?

Basic vegan food is cheap, way cheaper than a diet based on meat at every meal and therefore would cost charities less. Maybe it should be the other way round, and people relying on food banks should be forced to go vegan?

I agree with this. Food banks should only stock cheap unbranded vegan food, which will cater to the most people (inc. vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters, & Muslims) for the least amount of money.

Being vegan is cheap and healthy if done properly. I don't understand what the fuss is about. No reason at all why vegans should compromise on this if reliant on a food bank for a few weeks. Perfectly fine for the food bank to request vegan foods are donated. If you don't want to donate chia seeds then fine. Someone else might like to do that instead of you.

I struggle to get angry with people who can't feed their children wanting food they like.

I save my anger for the fact food banks even have to exist it 21st century Britain and that there are people here who can't feed their children. Shame on us.

Absolutely not OK to be requesting specific brands, I wouldn't ask for a specific brand of eg tea or coffee at a friend's house, so it's not really OK to do it to strangers, especially expensive brands.
But to be following a particular diet for health or moral reasons is a different matter, and if that includes oat milk and seeds then so be it. I do try to donate the same quality of food that I eat myself, so not always the cheapest cereal or shower gel. However if that's what I can afford for myself, it's what I'd donate. We do actually eat basic range foods and I don't buy brands just for the sake of it.

YABU it is just a request. If you disapprove don’t give it, donate money instead or give to a different charity. Poverty doesn’t mean that religious beliefs, ethics etc go away and if there are people willing to help great.

I’m counting my blessings- just luck I’m donating not receiving.
Maybe the food bank used the brand name as not used to the request
Maybe there is someone in the family with allergy to the other brands or SEN and won’t change.
Maybe the family are used to it and gave an example and food bank used that.

Also possible that family have put in a request for the brand when could easily swap to something cheaper. I hope no foodbank would ever answer a question on that. I think it might have been better to fund out of general donations as they may end up with none or a bit too much. Also someone who judges the family may arrive with a donation when they are been given the parcel and then know who they are.

This is why I always put a pot of decaf coffee in our local one. I love coffee but can't drink caffeine so assume there might be another person out there the same who would be grateful for the different option. I would imagine vegans also do this when donating, or people with other specific eating requirements.