AIBU to think that donating tinned tomatoes to the food bank shows a real lack of understanding of food poverty?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

The food bank donation box at my local supermarket this morning had a fairly good mix of items, apart from about a third of the tins were tinned tomatoes.

Surely it would be better all round to donate products which need little to no additional ingredients?

Tinned tomatoes are a base - they will never be a meal in their own right. They need at the bare minimum, some seasoning and or some veg or protein to make them useable.

And then even if you could rustle up some other ingredients to make them palateable/nutritious, you need to heat them - if they contain meat or lentils they need a good length of time on the heat.

Those using food banks likely cannot give over 20mins on the hob for tinned tomatoes. The cost of heating up the food (if there is even funds on the meter) is too high for the return.

I do think that people who donate tinned tomatoes, come at it from a reasonably comfortable point of view - just chuck it in with some mince and a bit if garlic and slow cook it for a couple of hours.

All of which is likely to be outside of the financial scope of the recipient.

@C8H10N4O2 - good advice, see my post above. I just checked what my local one needs today. They actually want tinned tomatoes! No pasta though at the moment.

@Brefugee

who is cooking tinned tomatoes on the hob for 20 minutes?

If I make a ratatouillie or similar, the hob will be on for 40 minutes to an hour.

Tinned tomatoes are far healthier than pasta sauces. I never buy pasta sauces but I do buy tinned tomatoes and add a bit of salt. I also like them on toast. Not sure what the problem is.

@girlmom21

I'd be interested to know what contact you've had with people who use food banks where it's intense enough that they've complained to you about tinned tomatoes but not enough for you to actually understand a food banks, or it's users, requirements.

Yup.

I just did this face when I read your OP

What can be more inessential out of all your shopping than tinned tomatoes, which were destined to sit at the back of the cupboard for a year or so until they get thrown out for being out of date?

They don't go out of date. My parents are hoarders. When I was a student and home for the vacation I once took it upon myself to clear out their kitchen cupboard. This was 1994. I found a tin of tomatoes that were best before a date in 1976. I ate them. They were fine.

In some of my poorest times passata (lumps make me feel sick so i dont care about paying the extra) or passata with herbs/garlic in have been top on my ingredients list...

@Sirzy

It would really help if the supermarkets had labels on the shelves saying “your local food bank is short of this” as a reminder while your going round!

Brilliant idea!

Of COURSE YABU. And tinned tomatoes IS a meal, with a couple of rounds of toast. What planet are you living on @BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz ?

why the heck would anyone take 20 minutes on the hob to heat them up? Are you putting a candle underneath the bloody saucepan?

Tinned tomatoes on toast is food of the gods
Amen

Well for a start there are numerous recipes in Jack Monroe's Cooking on a Bootstrap that use tinned tomatoes as a base.
OP you seem to be making an assumption that using a food bank means you can't cook which clearly isn't the case. There are some people who don't know how and it would be great if there was a system in place to teach them some basic skills as in the long run it would give them more food security and be healthier.
If you'd started a post about advent calendars being donated at Christmas then I might agree a little bit but people donate with good intentions.
If you're really that concerned why not see if your foodbank has a shopping list that you could circulate regularly or just make a cash donation instead.

If food banks end up with huge stocks of unwanted tinned tomatoes (or any other item) they can just put a polite notice out at their collection points saying "We currently have surplus tinned tomatoes, so please consider if you can donate something else, thank you".

This really is one of those issues where you don't need to come on Mumsnet to try and shame people making donations.

Glad that is all you have to worry about.... :-)
Tomato's on toast is lovely.

Last time I looked in a food donation box, it was full of processed junk. White cotton wool bread, biscuits etc. Major food groups not adequately represented.

I'll make a point of donating more tinned tomatoes next time.

@LazRaz

This puts me off the idea of donating to food banks. There could be someone policing my donations and declaring how crap they are.

there really isn't. this is one of those things that only happens on mumsnet!

Currently my food bank does not want any more sanitary products or dried pasta. They write this very clearly on a white board above the box and it changes every week. I send a dc to check whats on it or go and look myself before I start shopping. I think having the notice on the shelves would be brilliant!

@ChurchofLatterDayPaints

Last time I looked in a food donation box, it was full of processed junk. White cotton wool bread, biscuits etc. Major food groups not adequately represented.

I'll make a point of donating more tinned tomatoes next time.

Mine doesn't want bread as it goes off too quickly but it sometimes asks for biscuits.

Biscuits are nice.

I used to Chuck tinned tomatoes into some pasta, add some peas and cheese at uni. I’d happily eat that now actually just don’t as my husband wouldn’t like it and I rarely cook for just myself. Not ideal but about as easy, quick to cook and as basic as you can get no? Yes tinned tomatoes taste better if you cook for 20 mins (my husband does this), but I only ever cook them until they’re hot and it’s fine?

@LazRaz

This puts me off the idea of donating to food banks. There could be someone policing my donations and declaring how crap they are.

Honestly ignore it. There are lots of very ordinary things I wouldn't do if I listened to mumsnet.

Our local food banks always say what they have a surplus of.

It always seems to be beans, chip peas etc that they don’t need more of. I think people pick that up as they know it definitely doesn’t go out of date quickly, and forget to think about what what people will do with it.

I gave a variety of things last time I donated, tinned fruit seems to be something they always want, and cereal bars. But I added some cuppa soups and instant coffee - not sure if that is good or not but it’s quick to make.

I like to put sanpro in too

YABVU. They are incredibly versatile and are nutrient rich. They are a good way to bulk out other foods. Most food banks, in my area at least, ask if a recipient has access to cooking equipment and provide accordingly so tinned tomatoes would go to people with more than just a kettle.

People who use food banks don't have the immediate funds to buy food. Not all of them have limited utility supplies as the bill for this may not be immediately payable. Many food bank users have a cash flow issue while waiting for universal credit to be paid or for wages from a new job so its a short term need.
The tinned tomatoes will be provided alongside other items to enable nutritious meals, or in some cases used by the charity to cook meals to provide for those without cooking facilities.
But to be honest, when you know you are part of a society where some people are relying on charities to eat, do you really think the type of food being donated or asked for is the thing you should be questioning?

Cereals and biscuits mainly the last time I looked.
Food that doesn't need cooking would be good. Things like couscous and bulghar wheat and oats - all you need is hot water.

Our local supermarket displays a list of things that are required so I buy from that.

@5128gap

People who use food banks don't have the immediate funds to buy food. Not all of them have limited utility supplies as the bill for this may not be immediately payable. Many food bank users have a cash flow issue while waiting for universal credit to be paid or for wages from a new job so its a short term need. The tinned tomatoes will be provided alongside other items to enable nutritious meals, or in some cases used by the charity to cook meals to provide for those without cooking facilities. But to be honest, when you know you are part of a society where some people are relying on charities to eat, do you really think the type of food being donated or asked for is the thing you should be questioning?

exactly

not all of the food bank users are homeless with literally nothing

some of them are working parents with fully functioning kitchens who are perfectly able and happy to cook from scratch but that are temporarily very broke and need support.

Food banks don't want tinned tomatoes, and the people who use them certainly don't. I've been a food bank user and I was delighted to get tinned tomatoes. The most important things to donate are
-Baked Beans (Heinz, Branstons, HP or Waitrose own brand) I'd rather have tomatoes tbh. And couldn't give a shiney shit about brands.
-Tinned meals like "Hunger Breaks All Day Breakfast" Yuck. No thanks
-Tinned pasta shapes in tomato sauce again yuck.
-Corned beef yes please. Its not a cheap food anymore so we rarely buy it.
-Sardines/mackerel/salmon (not tuna) massive tinned fish on toast fans here. Although tuna is more versatile.
-Pasta (fusilli or macaroni) yes please
-Bleach no thanks
-Sugar I don't really use a lot of sugar. Although it's a good source of energy when I've given the dc the last of the food
-Coffee The only thing I'm brand concious of. Id rather go without than have coffee I don't like.
-Long life milk always helpful.

-Tinned fruit and veg not a fan of veg (other than tomatoes) but love tinned fruit.
-Potatoes always useful
-Bread wouldn't turn it down but rarely buy bread, dc prefer wraps.

Now of course that's only my preferences, I can't speak for everyone but to say food bank users definitely don't want tinned tomatoes is stupid.

I'd suggest the thin rice noodles too, and soya mince.

You could add them to soup to make a meal.