Lunchbox contents fine for school but not holiday club

[TheLunchIsServed]

DD is 7, about to go into year 3 at school.

She doesn’t always have a school hot dinner so takes a packed lunch. Usually she has

• Ham Sandwich
• Cheese string or babybel
• Penguin bar or similar small type biscuit
• Cucumber and carrot sticks
• Apple orange or banana
• Water

Sometimes I swap the cucumber and carrots for a homemade yogurt (fruit and greek yogurt combined). School have never commented negatively on the contents of her lunchbox, only comment I’ve ever had about it was from the headteacher the first time she took a lunchbox and I asked if it was (she’d gone in late for a reason and was taken to class by the HT) who said it sounded fine.

DD is at holiday club while I work and is taking the same packed lunch with her. She’s been before to this holiday club but I had a call to say policy has changed and she’s not allowed the cheese, yogurt (even a homemade one) or the chocolate and that lunch has to contain two portions of vegetables. They’d rather I didn’t send sugary fruit – even though DD tends to eat that at morning snack time rather than with lunch.

They’ve suggested I leave in the sandwich, cucumber and carrots, swap the cheese for another portion of vegetables – they suggested some cooked and cooled sweetcorn or tomatos (which are fruit) neither of which DD likes. They said to leave the chocolate out completely.

It’s nothing to do with hot weather as the lunchbox goes into a coolbag thing when she gets to holiday club and DD says it’s still cold when she eats it (at school I put those iceblocks in when it’s hot to keep it cool and DD says it’s nice there too).

I can’t understand why her lunchbox is fine at school but not holiday club who I was expecting to be more lenient.

So AIBU to think as I’m paying £35 a day for the service they can ignore a bit of cheese and a small chocolate bar? Or AIBU?

And if so can you make suggestions that a 7 year old will actually eat?

Rules are:

• Two Portions of Veg
• No nuts or seeds
• No kiwi
• No tahini/hummus

Can people supppsing what vegans think consider whether you would say that about anything else. Maybe its ran by a rabid [insert protected charateristic]...

You have literally no evidence of that, even less so given that the meat element isn't a problem. Stop stirring up hate.

@TheCupboardOfChaos

As for allergies (disclaimer: I have a child with a severe nut allergy): where did they come from? When I was at school in the 70s and 80s, nobody had an allergy which meant entire classrooms had to be nut-free spaces. Why are they so prevalent now? It would be interesting to know.

Another theory is some kids with allergies died. Lack of awareness on what anaphylaxis is or how to treat it. There is a train of thought that kids who "choked" on peanuts actually died or anaphylaxis.

the lunch you’ve packed it’s perfectly balanced but they have to have these stupid policies because of all the kids who’s parents just send in rubbish.

It’s probably due to allergies, my son is allergic to milk protein so I have to read labels on everything he takes, that will be the reason for the nuts and kiwi too. Holiday clubs are manic and whilst we all tell our children not to share- they may fancy a nibble with their friends and just simply forget with being so young. I am a lunch supervisor at the local school and you’ll be surprised how many kids try sharing their food - even with you saying they can’t and you’re standing right next to them- they’re sheepishly passing items to their classmates whilst staring straight at you! It’s bizarre! Could this be the reason? We have a no nut policy at work but it’s not gone as far as dairy items!

@Estheryan07

It’s probably due to allergies, my son is allergic to milk protein so I have to read labels on everything he takes, that will be the reason for the nuts and kiwi too. Holiday clubs are manic and whilst we all tell our children not to share- they may fancy a nibble with their friends and just simply forget with being so young. I am a lunch supervisor at the local school and you’ll be surprised how many kids try sharing their food - even with you saying they can’t and you’re standing right next to them- they’re sheepishly passing items to their classmates whilst staring straight at you! It’s bizarre! Could this be the reason? We have a no nut policy at work but it’s not gone as far as dairy items!

They aren’t asking if there is butter in the sandwiches so seems it can’t be an allergy thing.

DD is an extremely sensitive coeliac. She knows not to touch other people’s food. I understand if it’s an airborne allergy but otherwise they shouldn’t be eating others food.

If DD had to go to a club with 2 raw vegetables she just wouldn’t eat them. The sugary fruit thing is frankly ridiculous.

People stop making excuses for them. They are clearly trying to make like as difficult as possible to encourage sales of their own 'nutritionally superior' lunches.

Op ask them to give you a completely analysis nutritional value report of their own lunches.

Presumably you are paying for their services? I’d either ignore them or, if they continued to bring it up, tell them as you are paying x amount a day you will make a packed lunch if your’s and DD’s choosing.

We existed just nobody cared.

Adults would constantly tell my parent how they wouldnt put up with a 'picky eater' like me (because thats what it use to be called) and we werent catered for at all.

I was severally underweight as a kid because the world didnt have options for us so there was basically nothing I could eat if I wasnt at home.*
I can see how that must have been really difficult.
I think there just wasn't any understanding of food allergy and intolerance 40 years ago. My son has had several episodes of anaphylaxis and has nearly died through accidentally eating a sesame seed, being given hummous sandwiches on a school trip and being served chocolate and hazlenut ice cream whilst abroad. I agree that non immediately life threatening allergy and intolerance were seen as 'picky', I don't remember having kids in my class who could die if they ate nuts.

So she's not allowed any dairy in her lunchbox?
Can they do that?
That's a healthy lunch you've made for her with all the major food groups. I'd tell them to stuff it!

Surely for a child to have an allergic reaction to dairy, or eggs for that matter, they would have to actally eat the food. Nuts I can understand but these other foods. No.

@ozymandiusking

Surely for a child to have an allergic reaction to dairy, or eggs for that matter, they would have to actally eat the food. Nuts I can understand but these other foods. No.

Did you not see the news story a little while ago about the poor boy who had cheese thrown at him outside school and died?

I haven't read that story.

However cheese is not generally used as ammunition. Nor does it fly around in the atmosphere.

Most people can and do eat cheese. It is extremely nutritious.

To ban cheese from lunch boxes is ridiculous.

I've just Googled the Boy with cheese incident it was 2017 and FAE 2019.

The reports are it's incredibly rare for someone to react to cheese on their skin. And the schools epipen was a year out of date, and they only had one
Not sure why a 13yo with such severe allergies didn't carry his own esp as he needed two.

However in this case its nothing to do with allergies but everything to do with trying to make family's buy the companies lunches.

@TheCupboardOfChaos

As for allergies (disclaimer: I have a child with a severe nut allergy): where did they come from? When I was at school in the 70s and 80s, nobody had an allergy which meant entire classrooms had to be nut-free spaces. Why are they so prevalent now? It would be interesting to know.

People clean their houses too much

I too googled 'Boy with cheese allergy incident'; a terrible tragedy, poor kid. The school weren't very good in only having out of date adrenaline.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48228134

However it is very rare for something like that to happen.

What? They are being ridiculous and outrageously presumptuous! Who do they think they are telling you what you can feed your child?! The chocolate I would accept, if there is a child with a nut allergy, but they have no right to stick their noses in your parenting business and dispense high handed and inaccurate nutritional advice to you. Swap the penguin for non-chocolate biscuit, but otherwise ignore them. If they bring it up again tell them they are well out of line and you will be complaining to Ofsted about their unhealthy food obsessions. It sounds like the leader has an eating disorder.

@Maggiesfarm

I haven't read that story.

However cheese is not generally used as ammunition. Nor does it fly around in the atmosphere.

Most people can and do eat cheese. It is extremely nutritious.

To ban cheese from lunch boxes is ridiculous.

No I agree, they clearly aren't doing it for allergy reasons in this case anyway because they don't seem to care about the potential dairy in the sandwiches. And it's rare for places to ban dairy completely for allergy reasons, but it does happen.

I just wanted to point out that dairy allergies can in fact be that serious, and you don't necessarily have to eat it to react. Allergies are so misunderstood. People seem to take nut allergies more seriously than others but people can be severely allergic to anything. The amount of times people have dismissed my dds dairy allergy as lactose intolerance or fussy eating is frustrating.

Tell them she has a calcium deficiency and needs dairy or ask them to provide it and pay if they so fussy!