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.

They're an easy base for pasta sauce. Tinned tomatoes and pasta is a cheap meal.

This is why I like the Morrisons food bags you can pick up, buy and donate...although I'm making the presumption that these are based on what the FB needs!

(

When I was a kid (not that long ago!) and we had very little money we often had "tomato pasta" for dinner. An onion if we had it, squirt of garlic puree if we had it, but sometimes not. If we were really lucky we got a sprinkle of cheese on top.

Even now I make a very basic soup with tinned tomatoes a stock cube and water. Pad out with bread and its fine.

I guess what I'm saying is meals are as simple or complicated as you make them, and just because you simmer tomatoes for 20mins doesn't mean everyone does. Most foods need "something" to go with them.

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.

@Chocolatewheatos

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

Interested in this.

I include tinned tomatoes in donations just because personally I go through about 4 -6 cans a week, I use them in everything!

I remember when I was unwell as a child, in the 90s/00s, hardly ages ago, my mum would give me a bowl of heated (in the microwave) tinned tomatoes with plain white bread. More substantial than a thin soup, but plain and little fat so it wouldn't upset a dodgy stomach but full of vitamin c so good for fighting colds.

It's really not a bad meal, I still do it now sometimes. You don't have to use tinned tomatoes only as a base.

@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've never eaten tinned tomatoes on toast but when I was growing up lots of my friends would have them on toast for lunch.

Tinned tomatoes are useful in a food bank collection point. People have different circumstances - you need a wide range of stuff.
Don't 'turn up the flame' on your tinned tomatoes - the flavour improves will long slow cooking (sorry moving away from the point of the thread)

My food bank also asks for tinned tomatoes. They also do like to have meals in a tin as well, or quick easy cooking noodle type things too though.

I have some experience of working with people who use these services, so my opinion is formed mainly from my conversations with them.

Yeah you just failed to mention that crucial piece of info in your OP

tinned tomatoes are already cooked.
they are great for making a jar of pasta sauce, curry, soup go that much longer. and tastier.

Not everyone using a food bank is in the long term grips of food poverty though, lots of people are having a short term cash flow crisis. Those people are likely to be ok with fuel use because they pay the bill in 4 weeks time, and they have other bits in their cupboards (sugar, to sweeten the tomatoes for sauce etc)

@BlackeyedSusan

Tinned tomatoes on toast. Salt and pepper.

Tinned tomatoes, cooked rice tinned peas and sweetcorn. (+Tuna or chickpeas) microwave

Tinned veg, curry powder. ( The savers one) tinned chick peas, tinned tomatoes. tinned potatoes
Microwave/heat through on stove.
Savers herbs are about 30p a pot.

Maybe it's you who lack imagination?

I can certainly buy and make these things and more with TTs. I just dont necessarily think what you have suggested is always possible of others if they cannot spare the cost of additional ingredients.

A tin of tomatoes on toast - sure, it will fill a hole. But surely beans on toast would be more filling, or tinned chilli or bolognese would be a little more hearty.

You can use tinned tomatoes to make a pasta sauce etc. My DM also has them on toast for breakfast. They are pretty versatile.

@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.

Depends where the food bank is based. Locally tinned tomatoes are hugely popular in Asian / Eastern European immigrant areas without supermakers. These guys often cook from scratch and so local independant shops who basically own the market charge anything from 50p to £1 per tin. It’s daylight robbery and often restricts how often people will cook even when they can just about afford the other ingrediants.

I saw someone on Facebook asking for details of a local food bank. Had a nosey on her profile and she was regularly posting photos of her latest acrylic nails. Aren't they at least £20 a pop? Isn't it a bit off to regularly spend that much on a complete non-essential while also claiming you can't afford to feed yourself and taking food away from people who genuinely don't have a pot to piss in?

Some people who use food banks are in dire long term living conditions but many are using them to patch over a temporary lack of cash due to Universal Credit delays or some other short term crisis and are perfectly capable of doing a bit of cooking in their moderately equipped kitchen.

@SameToo

I have some experience of working with people who use these services, so my opinion is formed mainly from my conversations with them.

Yeah you just failed to mention that crucial piece of info in your OP

I dont think its crucial.

DM used to do tinned tomatoes on toast for tea.
She liked it.
I happily went hungry instead as they're too tart on their own and ruined the toast.
It doesn't mean that they're not a practical ingrediant though.

I certainly didn't start this to do anything other than query why TTs were so heavily donated as (imo) they are not what I would think would be suitable

Why don’t you go and volunteer at a foodbank, and ask why they often list tinned tomatoes as required donation items? Rather than judging people who are helping out by donating items that are (only in your opinion) unsuitable?

The pointless audacity of some people astounds me. Educate yourself instead of casting silly judgments on others purely because you don’t understand something.

I have some experience of working with people who use these services, so my opinion is formed mainly from my conversations with them.

So do I. More often than not the food banks ask for them. The people who use the food banks ask for them.

They're a flexible ingredient with a long shelf-life. They're easy to store and cheap. You can make all sorts with tinned tomatoes, from pasta sauces to curry to cake.

Only on Mumsnet!!!!

@Brefugee

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

What do you mean by this?

I think it's a bit weird and patronising to assume that foodbank users should mostly just have/want baked beans and other processed/pre-made meals. Tinned tomatoes are versatile and healthy, not to mention cheap. You don't know the finamcial status of the people donating either.

I had to use a foodbank last year. I would much rather have tinned tomatoes than a jar of overly sweet pasta sauce (although was grateful for anything at the time)
I do have a well stocked spice rack though so can jazz up plain food.
I use tinned tomatoes all the time, on toast, as a base for soup, as a pasta sauce.
Of course there are some people using food banks who can't/won't use them for whatever reason, but there are a lot of people who will.