A loaf and a block of cheese is not lunch for ten days

[ZazieSheHer]

So some of the free school lunch boxes contain very little food.

Marcus Rashford condemns free school meal packages

“...a package, supposedly containing £30 worth of food to last for 10 days, comprising just a loaf of bread, some cheese, a tin of beans, two carrots, two bananas, three apples, two potatoes, a bag of pasta, three Frubes, two Soreen bars and a tomato”.

mobile.twitter.com/RoadsideMum/status/1348646428084760576

Can’t imagine what it’s like home schooling hungry kids. Would like to say I’m shocked but I’m not.

I also quite like a tomato sandwich, but I can imagine many children and teenagers wouldn't!

It was Jack Monroe who highlighted this issue first I think on twitter, not Marcus Radford. Apologies if I have my timeline wrong on that, but it would be pretty unfair to ignore Jacks efforts on this subject.

@DenisetheMenace

Mrsjayy *And that's not even touching on the fact that fucking tuna has been portioned out into money bags.“

Someone, please tell me that’s not true?

Are you reading this, Mr. Williamson? What will your children be sitting down to today? Slice of rubber cheese on two week old bread? And a frube, if it’s one of their lucky days?

twitter.com/LisaMarieTanner/status/1348751047242768387

Another post about this where the OP got absolutely pulled to pieces by the "BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU GET PAUPER!" crew. Very glad MR has spoken up (again). Love him.

I have a twelve year old ds....he eats constantly! Can't remember the last time he said he was full up. We are getting through so much food. The amount described in the op doesn't sound like a huge amount but depends on the child's age...may be enough for a four year old... definitely not enough for a teen.

And yes Jack Monroe has also done an excellent thread. Good for Jack.

@IndieTara most of mine would eat carrot soup or a tomato sandwich, but I was only really answering a pp who said how could it make ten meals. It’s nowhere near £30 worth of food and fairly uninspiring but possible.

I cannot believe anyone on here or on twitter is possibly putting themselves on the side of defending this.

That is about £4 - 5 worth of food. £25 on logistics and profit. Of public money. In a time of national emergency.

This is what happens when our NHS service/prison service etc is contracted out, by the way.

Fortnight old bread? Really?

I'm not sure that the entitlement is to £30 worth of food per ten days. It's actually a lunch for a single child for 10 days. I wouldn't spend anything close to £30 to provide 10 lunches for my child.

That box isn't a great example tbh, and I'm surprised its for 10 days not 5 - for 5 days it would be more than adequate, for 10 its tight. I guess you could do:
Jacket and baked beans x2
Cheese and tomato sandwich x2
Cheese on toast x3
Plain cheese sandwich x3

A piece of fruit or a frube or a soreen for each lunch.

Not sure what the pasta or carrots are for (but of course carrots sticks could be used to bump out lunch).

I am really, really surprised that's not a box for 5 days, like most schools are doing, in which case it would be quite adequate, although obviously not luxurious.

Btw it's not the contents I have as much issue with, it's the price! I am involved in boxes locally and we are supplying cereal, milk, jam, butter, chopped tomatoes plus this and it's costing the school £10 a box, local Aldi is supplying the food though and being packed by school catering staff

Carrot soup is nice. But what are you making it with?

But @5zeds how do you make carrot soup out of what’s been provided? Where is the flavour? What if the family don’t own a blender?

@DenisetheMenace

SFHJ

Unpopular opinion.
Sorry but it’s for school lunches why should it be £30 a week, it’s not for a whole weeks shop@ZazieSheHer”

Incorrect opinion. It’s for ten days, not 5.
How much do you spend on your childrens’ lunches? Do you think £3 per day is excessive?

I've never spent £3 on an adult lunch, let alone a childs. Around £1 per head is adequate as dinner is the main meal of the day. That would still be double the amount of food in the box. I would add in more protein and longlife fruit juice or milk drinks to this box.

Which bread loaf lasts for two weeks? Not everyone has a freezer.

@SFHJ

Unpopular opinion. Sorry but it’s for school lunches why should it be £30 a week, it’s not for a whole weeks shop, maybe it’s changed to the parcel which does contain the lunches for the relevant amount of days as it’s more cost effective for the schools providing it. There is only limited budgets and our grandchildren are going to paying for this for rest of their lives. Why can’t people be grateful for the help they do get. People are always wanting more.

Why say sorry? You're not sorry.

"there is only limited budgets" - they've given the private company the money ALREADY and this is what they've provided. The schools are not going out shopping for it. This was all written before your post. It's not hard to understand. You're just trying to kick those who need help while they're done. You need to take a long hard look at yourself.

Jack Monroe Twitter thread on food parcels

I think they were using vouchers until last summer when Ben Bradley, the MP for Mansfield, said the vouchers were being used as unofficial currency in 'crack dens and brothels'. Apparently the vouchers couldn't be used to buy alcohol or cigarettes so they were a practical option given that holiday clubs etc weren't able to operate normally.

Jack Monroe has been tweeting pictures of her £20 shopping basket (which would give a £10 margin for delivery costs etc and profit). It looks a lot more tasty and nutritious than those boxes.

@mrsm43s

I'm not sure that the entitlement is to £30 worth of food per ten days. It's actually a lunch for a single child for 10 days. I wouldn't spend anything close to £30 to provide 10 lunches for my child.

That box isn't a great example tbh, and I'm surprised its for 10 days not 5 - for 5 days it would be more than adequate, for 10 its tight. I guess you could do:
Jacket and baked beans x2
Cheese and tomato sandwich x2
Cheese on toast x3
Plain cheese sandwich x3

A piece of fruit or a frube or a soreen for each lunch.

Not sure what the pasta or carrots are for (but of course carrots sticks could be used to bump out lunch).

I am really, really surprised that's not a box for 5 days, like most schools are doing, in which case it would be quite adequate, although obviously not luxurious.

it doesn't matter that it's ADEQUATE, it matters what has been paid to the company to provide it and what they're fobbing people off with.

It’s terrible that the vouchers were stopped but I guess they want people to feel embarrassed and to take away their autonomy to choose food for themselves.

Ereshkigalangcleg

Fortnight old bread? Really?

Well yes, obviously. 1 loaf for 10 weekdays. With the intervening weekend, on the last day it’s a fortnight old.

Not difficult.

It won't have cost Chartwells a fiver, they'll buy wholesale. A couple of quid tops.So even with their meagre overheads they'll be pocketing the best part of £30. Jack Monroe has done an amazing job calling this out. It's criminal.

The fact that everyone expected the company to be a Tory donor (and is correct) shows how numb we've become to this. I don't know what the solution is.

I was asking someone why the schools were giving out hampers instead of vouchers this time and was genuinely upset to hear that it was because parents were selling the food vouchers for half price so literally taking the food away from their children.

anyone defending this needs to really consider what the fuck is wrong with themselves. We live in a country with a totally corrupt government and this is yet another symptom of that. And yet BofuckingJo and his cunty cronies get voted in again and again.

You disgust me.

@5zeds

What are you on ! Please do is a menu for 10 days for 1 school child !

Main
Two cheese on toast
One tomato sandwich
Two carrot soup and bread
Two baked potato and beans
Three pasta and cheese sauce

Pudding
two bananas,
three apples,
three Frubes,
two Soreen bars

10 mains/10 puddings

As I said it’s light on protein and definitely NOT £30

You can't make carrot soup from two carrots and no other ingredients. Especially two portions.

There isn't enough cheese for what you're suggesting here.

What are you supposed to make the cheese sauce out of? That needs flour, milk, margerine (at least).

And, as others have said, a tomato sandwich?

Add into that the fact that baked potatoes are power hungry if you don't have a microwave, as is soup.

Bring back the vouchers - the fact that private companies are profiting from children going hungry is scandalous.