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

I’d put in a performative carrot every day, fully expecting it back. You could make the same one last all holiday!

No cheese and no yoghurt and suggesting replacing those with vegetables instead of other proteins seems a bit odd. Allergies are a possibility, but with the other restrictions/suggestions (two portions of fruit and veg, no sugary fruit) it sounds very much like a “healthy” eating policy. And with a dairy allergy surely they’d tell you “no dairy” not just name a couple of dairy products you couldn’t bring in and leave out a host of other ones.

Do they have a food policy posted that was available before you signed up? I would be tempted to argue that significant restrictions on what you can send in without good cause is a breach of contract and they’ll need to accept your daughter’s lunch and health is your responsibility.

Who is making up these dietary rules ? I can understand they don't want children with a complete lunchbox of crisps, cake and chocolate , which wasn't totally unusual a few years back, but fruit, cheese and yogurt? . If there is a child with a severe allergy then they should say and allow some alternatives, not just expect them to fill up on extra veg.

Crazy! Sounds like a healthy lunch. Kids need protein and fat for energy especially if they are active all day. They are not going to get the calories they need from fruit and veg. Nothing wrong with a small chocolate biscuit either.

No sugary fruits? Seriously?
People actually feed their kids fruit instead of crap and it's still not good enough. Absolutely ridiculous.

Well okay about the chocolate although even that sounds OTT. No nuts is fine but the rest sounds weird.
No cheese or yoghurt, why not?

I’d say that’s for their advice but dairy is important for calcium and you suggest they seek some further nutritional advice if they are still confused …

Unless there’s an allergy there I think they are pretty unreasonable

I’d also double check your Ts&Cs for any agreements made regarding food. If they haven’t included anything in there, then can only assume you can ignore ignore ignore. Christ I give my toddler cheese as a way of giving her high calorie food that isnt full of sugar

I agree with others, initially I thought ‘must be a child anaphylactic to dairy’ but that would have been in rules where they banned other allergens and would include butter.
As for what she can take instead, would a hard boiled egg be eaten?
Could you make cheese scones or savoury muffins.
Would rice cakes be acceptable?

Please come back and update when you’ve spoken to them, I’d love to know their reasoning!

Sounds bonkers.

Ask which items specifically are barred for known allergy reasons (like the kiwi) and ignore the rest. Also ask for the dietary advice they are using as it sounds like some odd bastardisation of a an adult diet fad.

Presumably they're a lot more active in holiday club than at school. So even the chocolate biscuit isn't much of an issue.

Kiwi allergy is a tough one - it also impacts on jelly sweets so Haribo are on the banned list but the Natural Sweet Company (or N Jelly Co - I forget exactly the brand name) are fine. (A DC of a Cub Leader had that issue and he was not the most organised Leader, so we knew to make sure about food and had mentioned jellies in packing list every time - but that Leader also spent a fortune on buying NSC bags of jellies to replace those taken on activities in error by others...and Leaders enjoyed many packs of Harinos late at night waiting for Cubs to go to sleep) 🤣

Hummus/tahini could be a sesame allergy.

And nut allergies are not terribly uncommon these days either.

At least tomato and egg are not also in the list (we've had to deal with those too over the years as allergies).

I don't understand why Cheese is banned or yogurt (other than I guess it can be messy or something?)

My DS (8) is at holiday club today from 8.30-4.30. He’s swimming and having football coaching. He’s SO energetic and slightly underweight as a result. He has a wholegrain cheese and pickle and tomato sandwich, a dairylea dunker thing, red peppers, cucumber and grapes, an apple, a penguin and an packet of crisps.

I really can’t get excited over a penguin. He is a great eater and very very active. He’s having mackerel with new potatoes and salad for tea. It’s all about balance, @jessycake puts it well.

Children are meant to eat 2-3 portions of dairy a day for calcium and health.

So what is wrong with yogurt and cheese?

Kiwi, dairy and sesame allergies in one child shouldn’t preclude other children from eating those foods UNLESS the adults can’t be bothered to ensure children aren’t eating each other’s food.

This is sheer laziness on the part of the caregivers. The children with allergies should be seated at their own table or in the same assigned spot every day, and watched. Let the other children be free to eat whatever they want.

(I say this as the mother of a child with many severe food allergies)

Choose another club. That level of micromanaging is ridiculous. No fruit??

@AryaStarkWolf

I don't understand why Cheese is banned or yogurt (other than I guess it can be messy or something?)

Not sure about cheese but yogurt can turn if left in the heat on hot days, giving kids who might not notice a dodgy tummy.

Chocolate just makes a mess. But won't do actual harm.

My out of school ask parents not to put those in lunch boxes.

Utterly rubbish. Mine would always have a healthy lunch for school but holiday club and school trips were always treat lunches. So a packet a crisps and a treat plus usual sandwiches etc.

You're paying for it so they can do one.

@MrsCrosbyNRTB

My DS (8) is at holiday club today from 8.30-4.30. He’s swimming and having football coaching. He’s SO energetic and slightly underweight as a result. He has a wholegrain cheese and pickle and tomato sandwich, a dairylea dunker thing, red peppers, cucumber and grapes, an apple, a penguin and an packet of crisps.

I really can’t get excited over a penguin. He is a great eater and very very active. He’s having mackerel with new potatoes and salad for tea. It’s all about balance, @jessycake puts it well.

We have oven baked salmon, potatoes and peas for tea (DDs choice) so the balance is there for us too.

I've just checked the website for the company and it states the lunchbox rules at the beginning of the OP but says that the rules are subject to change at any time so I may not have a leg to stand on.

It has to be a dairy allergy to say no cheese or yoghurt. As to the sugar request? For £35/day they can fuck right off.

Ridiculous. Leaving out the allergens like kiwi, tahini etc I can understand but everything else is way overboard.

Can you ask them what UK government backed or nhs health advice excludes these food groups and maybe show them the eatwell plate.

Which I believe suggests children should be having three dairy portions a day.