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.

Op....just admit you are wrong

Ours ask for these regularly.

They need them because they are an ingredient for so many foods eg chick peas, onion, chopped tomatoes and some spices makes a great curry, healthy, balanced etc. Add mushrooms, onion and courgette to your chopped tomatoes and it's a pasta sauce. They have herbs and spices at our food bank and often fresh produce too

@Chocolatewheatos

Ready made things that don't need heating up but have a good shelf life would be?

Anything that just requires hot water from a kettle is a good choice - instant noodles, pasta/rice pots and cup-a-soups...or things like tinned fruit salad or chopped fruits, tinned sweetcorn etc. that can just be drained and added to a salad or basic meal, tinned tuna, crackers, biscuits...

Anything from the cupboard section is normally pretty good. All those things can be eaten cold or with the addition of hot water so are pretty good for people in fuel poverty too.

I would have thought from reading this thread that people serious about donating to foodbanks are by and large going to contact the foodbank to find out what they need and take it to them.
The foodbank donation points in supermarkets would appear to be aimed at people that want to do something, but maybe don't have the time, or resources to visit the foodbank to donate lots of food items. I am not in a position to donate a lot of food or money and I wouldn't drive to my local food bank to drop of a couple of tins of beans, but I and I imagine most people could add a few extra bits to their shopping to contribute something. So the foodbank isn't losing out.
Strange thread, when the real outrage should be directed at low wages and changes to the benefit system that force people into food poverty in the first place, not people that are trying to do something.

The foodbank donation baskets in our local supermarkets have a notice on them of what they need most. I just read it on my way in and then buy a few bits on my way round.

@Thecathouse

Tinned tomatoes on toast was a common lunch when I was growing up. They only need 5 minutes on the hob and a sprinkle of salt, and they get one of your five a day in

They aren't just a base. Ha e you never had tinned tomatoes on toast?

I loved tinned tomatoes on toast. Especially with celery salt sprinkled on. Can't think why I haven't had them for so long. The other day I had some fish and used a completely unadorned tin of cherry tomatoes, just warmed through, as the 'sauce'

Tinned tomatoes are amazing. Sausage and chips with warmed through tinned tomatoes? Pretty much anything can have tinned tomatoes on the side, and be made much more nutritious.

I'm Asian and we use tinned tomatoes to cook lots of cheap dishes. Potato curry, chick pea curry, dhal etc.

We also make aubergine curry (59p for one aubergine) with tinned tomato, a long with lots of other veg based curry.

And you can also make a spaghetti sauce from the tomato sauce.

So versatile, assuming you have the gas to cook.

I can also eat the same dish 3 days in a row so bulk cooking helps keep costs low.

Huh???

Tinned tomatoes are the most basic part of my "skint" budget cooking! 500g Pasta 29p, garlic bulb 25p, onions 10p each, a tin of mixed beans in spicy tomato sauce 65p and a pack of red, yellow and green peppers is the most expensive at 85p! That's a whole family fed a home cooked nutritious dinner for less than £2.50.

If I was needing a food bank then tinned tomatoes is No.1 on my list of things I'd need. You don't HAVE to add meat to every meal.

Tomatoes on toast, spaghetti on toast, beans on toast, were all a part of my childhood and I still might have any of them. Tomatoes are good nutritionally, and it's lovely to have sausage, chips and toms as a change from feeling that we simply must have a green leafy veg. I never tried celery salt on them - thanks.

When I was skint after graduating uni and moving to London for my first job, tinned tomatoes were one of my staples. Couldn’t afford a fancy jar of pasta sauce when some weeks I only had a tenner to spend on food. I also love them as a side portion of vegetables with sausage and chips/ fried egg and chips.

I use tin tomatoes when I'm skint they are great as a pasta sauce or on toast!

Your clearly not much of a cook op, are you?

My mum used to make ‘tomato gravy’ by adding gravy granules and serving with bacon & fried eggs. Fab meal!

There are many people who use foodbanks who do and can cook, and plan and think for themselves

Really, @ClaudiaWankleman, is that what you meant???

People from all sorts of backgrounds use food banks. I use tinned tomatoes in my cooking all the time. If I were to need a food bank next week I'd be glad to see tinned tomatoes. Many other competent cooks would be too. They're a good base for lots of cheap meals without resorting to spaghetti hoops and other pre-made tins.

Due to this thread I've searched my local foodbank and found they're short of shampoo, conditioner, washing capsules and shaving cream. Not things I'd have thought of donating, so thank you PP for the idea to check.

I know this is not what the thread is about but I have never dreamt of eating tinned toms on toast, but after reading this thread, I'm tempted!

My local Boots has a hygiene bank, and they have a list of items needed, so it's always worth checking there if you shop at Boots.

Not read the whole thread but I'll put my hand up and admit that I don't know a lot about food poverty However I assume that the people who run the foodbanks know what they're talking about. I check their website for "this week we particularly need..." and buy those things, whether they are items that appeal to me or not.
I imagine most donors do the same, so if you have knowledge that inappropriate things are being donated OP I would suggest you talk to the foodbanks rather than criticise the donors, who are just trying to help and largely do what they are asked by the banks.

Ooooh, hot tinned tomatoes on toast.. or fried bread. Yum!

Sadly I've no bacon to make fried bread worth having but yay for Warbies toastie!

Really, @ClaudiaWankleman, is that what you meant???

Yes @Silvercatowner Whenever food banks are discussed here there always seems to be a patronising, very black and white view of the people who use food banks. As if they are completely incapable of independent thought and will only be able to make ready-made food and cannot manage their money.

Of course the reality is that there is a huge variety of people who use food banks for a huge variety of reasons.

I try to be guided by what the FB is asking for, which can be anything from cup-a-soup to lentils.

People using food banks can be people who have nothing but a kettle and have to survive on instant noodles and tinned hot dogs and packet mash.

Or they can be people with the means and skills to cook ‘from scratch’. Things like Jack Munroe’s ‘bootstrap cook’ are full of simple meals that use a tinned tomato base.

The food bank needs to cover both ends of that spectrum.

Aside from the obvious things u can make with tinned tomatoes, if your food and is lucky to have some Indian slices or even just curry leaves u can even make a decent Indian masala out of it, add veg and voila vegetable curry.

Obv some opinions and garlic would be ideal bit even just the spices alone help

Onions*