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.

I never used tinned tomatoes as a sauce/base until I was an adult, through my childhood we had them often as a side with sausage and mash, or scrambled egg etc.

We did too. My parents would use them as a base as well, as they're a good stretching food, but they were definitely something you'd just eat as they were sometimes. I always thought that was a fairly normal working class thing. We were on low income/benefits but not food bank poor, if that makes sense.

@HelpMeTree

I think you’re virtue signaling. Of all the people to criticise, those who donate to food banks probably shouldn’t be at the top of your list.

This. And you are making some broad and sweeping assumptions about people who use food banks.

Our local foodbank has a list of whats needed. Tinned tomatoes are often on the list, along with tinned fruit, tinned custard, long life milk and other stuff.

I try to buy stuff according to the list, even if I would never eat it myself. Eg Instant hot chocolate made with water not milk.

The stuff that pisses me off when I see it in the donations box is dried pulses. The sort that take hours to cook. Much better to give 4 tins of kidney beans than a packet of dried ones.

When I was a student (on low budget) a favourite meal was pasta, tinned tomatoes (with herbs and onion if I had them) and some grated cheese. Cheap and satisfying.

Most items aren't a meal in themselves, and people need vegetables as well as carbs and protein. Tinned tomatoes are nutritious, easy to store, can be made into a variety of different meals and can be quickly and easily heated either on the hob or in a microwave. I don't see the problem with donating them.

The only thing that gives me the needle is seeing weird homemade jams and cakes in there despite the food bank making it very clear that they cannot accept homemade items. Clearly someone just keeps doing it.

Whilst I see where op is coming from- it's an outdated view of the people the food banks are representing now. In ours it's not only the uneducated or fuel poor anymore. It's more and more frequently the middle. Surprise bills, redundancies, lost jobs- we have people in designer clothes and with credit not prepay meters frequently. It's meant we have demand for lentils that used to sit on the shelves. It's very alarming that they don't just serve the absolute poor and that we are seeing this increase, but unless where I work is the exception to the rule- tinned tomato's are favoured by many (and in deed not just the relatively richer of our clientele- as everyone said toms on toast is a staple- they are consistently chosen over and above a ready made pasta sauce. )

I didn’t realise people who use food banks aren’t allowed to cook meals.

Our food bank has asked for an absolute halt on tinned toms, dried pasta and rice. They are asking for a lot of 'kettle food' - instant porridge, instant noodles, snack pots. They also ask for canned fish and ham.

@user1473878824, people who need food banks might not be able to afford to do something like pop a spud in the oven.

I donate tomatoes and tbh even though I’m Linley too cook them for probably longer than 20mins as it’s a base as you say, I’d never actually thought about the energy/time it would take to cook tbh.

So you might have a point there

I donated tin tomatoes as this was requested

Easy to make a quick cheap lunch or dinner. Tomatoes, oregano (or basil/bay leaf)
pepper, (purée makes it richer and isn’t expensive) you have a pasta sauce. I add an extra tin of tomatoes so a chilli goes further

Can be added to so many sauces i think of them as a staple food

@ginslinger

Our food bank has asked for an absolute halt on tinned toms, dried pasta and rice. They are asking for a lot of 'kettle food' - instant porridge, instant noodles, snack pots. They also ask for canned fish and ham.

yes ours doesn't want pasta or rice atm

I doubt its because they generally don't want tinned toms, they just have enough

Some of the posters on here would probably refuse to buy instant kettle food!

I like tinned toms on toast.

I think you are wrong to assume that people using a food bank wouldn’t want food that could be combined with other ingredients to make a meal.

You can microwave tin toms with some tin veg and pasta. Handy to bulk out a tin of mince again in the microwave. Each area of food poverty is difference. People prioritise electricity, gas, internet etc putting food to the bottom of the pile. Surely food banks ask people what kind of cooking facilities they have when sorting out food parcels?

@Notcontent

I have not read the whole thread, but I think it’s actually the OP who misunderstands people who rely on food banks. Sure, there might be some people who have no cooking facilities or are just relying on a microwave - but I think a lot of people who are using food banks do actually have access to a basic kitchen.

I think it would be really wrong for food banks to only provide really crap highly processed food.

You're in for a shock, then, because "really crap highly processed food" is indeed unfortunately what they mainly provide.

Perhaps naively, I also thought until recently that they would provide basics like bread, potatoes, milk, butter, cheese, fruit and vegetables alongside cupboard staples such as pasta and rice and snacks. But I found out when trying to donate apples to my local one recently that fresh food is not even accepted!

Instead of fresh apples, they wanted beans, tinned pies, tinned soups and packets and wouldn't accept fruit or vegetables. I feel really sorry for the people who normally eat fresh food but have to have this processed rubbish out of necessity when they are already having a hard time. And what about children who need the vitamins for their development?

This article reveals a lot about the state of food banks in this country: www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/lived-food-bank-parcel-week-2472784

YABU tinned tomatoes are heaven

Said as someone with pregnancy induced acid reflux and I miss it so much!!!!!

God bless a good tinned plum on toast

Tinned tomatoes go very quickly at our local food bank. A lot of Asian families prefer to cook from scratch if possible so they can have food that is culturally appropriate to their family and tinned tomatoes are incredibly easy to add to spices to make a sauce.

I should add - also in high demand, please add spices and herbs to your food bank donations!!

tulips27

Many users won't be be solely eating food banks items though. E.g. a family in financial difficulty may get tokens for milk and fruit, may have a little money with which they can buy a few cheaper items like bread, but not enough money for an adequate diet. Food banks aren't a long-term solution in any case.

@kittenkipping

Whilst I see where op is coming from- it's an outdated view of the people the food banks are representing now. In ours it's not only the uneducated or fuel poor anymore. It's more and more frequently the middle. Surprise bills, redundancies, lost jobs- we have people in designer clothes and with credit not prepay meters frequently. It's meant we have demand for lentils that used to sit on the shelves. It's very alarming that they don't just serve the absolute poor and that we are seeing this increase, but unless where I work is the exception to the rule- tinned tomato's are favoured by many (and in deed not just the relatively richer of our clientele- as everyone said toms on toast is a staple- they are consistently chosen over and above a ready made pasta sauce. )

I understand your wider point about the changing demographic of people relying on food banks, but if you need a charity to eat you are 'the absolute poor' at that moment in time. Being in dire need is a great leveller, and social class irrelevant. Its always been alarming that anyone needs this,

@tulips27 not all food banks have capacity for refrigeration. Those that can, usually do. Or they may have very limited capacity but only take donations straight from supermarkets so they can handle capacity and only take what they can fit in the space available.

I used to love tinned tomatoes on toast as a kid with some cheese.
Mix in with some pasta and cheese, basic meal.
They are very versatile, go with most meats and veg.

Our food Bank provides a list, tinned tomatoes are always on it I'm doing as directed. Suggest the OP when they put the list up explain this as it relates to their needs

I have tins of the stuff in my cupboards because I use them for so many dishes. If I ever needed a food bank it would be one of the items I would definitely ask for. I also quite like tinned tomatoes, sprinkled with cheese and black pepper on toast. I always buy a combination of plum for less juice and chopped for a dish needing more liquid.