Packed lunch police

[penneforyourthoughts]

DD’s school has changed their packed lunch policy and no longer allows them to have juice cartons of any description.

I know that there are bigger problems in the world but it’s made me pretty cross. DD is quite food avoidant and I do my best to pack a sensible lunch for her but I like the fact that I can give her fruit juice (flavour, texture and one of her five a day, I think).

I don’t want to make a fuss because it’s a great school but AIBU to raise it with them?

Ring up and complain. They are idiots since a carton of fruit juice is counted as a portion of fruit.

Do these school canteen staff have nothing else to do!

Well, YABU to buy drinks in small cartons: they are environmentally non pc, and the contents are either full of sugar, or additives, or both, and contain virtually no fibre.

However YANBU to complain to the school - you should be able to feed your children however you want, within reason obvs (ie not a cold happy meal every day - is this really a thing?

Lordy, the things parents complain about.

Lordy, the things that are considered to be the school's business and responsibility these days and not the parents.

Thank goodness when my DD was growing up nobody thought it was their job to interfere with lunch boxes. Although I did provide what I considered to be a healthy balanced lunch - better than the crap that was supplied for school dinners anyway. This was before the Jamie Oliver campaign when turkey twizzlers etc. were still on the menu.

@MrsFin

Well, YABU to buy drinks in small cartons: they are environmentally non pc, and the contents are either full of sugar, or additives, or both, and contain virtually no fibre.

However YANBU to complain to the school - you should be able to feed your children however you want, within reason obvs (ie not a cold happy meal every day - is this really a thing?

At DS3's school, they have to have one portion each of: Carbs Protein Fruit Veg Dairy Any natural fruit based drink or water (no squash) 1 treat on Fridays, so a sausage roll, crisps, a cake or a cookie

Pleased mine are out of school now, I hate this nanny state nonsense, but I get where you are coming from OP, it’s the sort of thing my DS1 would have worried about as he is a rule follower too. Most parents are sensible enough to put together a balanced lunch box.

Schools make these daft rules, but don’t always help the situation for example at senior school, it was more expensive for my kids to buy a bottle of water, than a bottle of juice. Where is the sense in that? At college bottles of water were 70p for one or £1 for two, so really cheap, as they should be for students.

Lordy, the things parents complain about.

lordy the absolute utter wierdness of the things UK schools focus on. Uniform and what's in their lunchboxes as opposed to cutting down the number of kids leaving school who are functionally illiterate and so on.

Are smoothies allowed? Or are they closed as a fruit juice drink? My dd has the innocent smoothie cartons in her lunch to try and get one of her 5 a day into her (she’s food avoidant too and autistic, lots of sensory issues).

I hate how they lay these rules down. When I was at school my lunch consisted of a ham sandwich, a packet of crisps, a apple and a small cake (sometimes a minion chocolate eclair 🤣), then I had a flask of juice/squash. I’ve never been over weight and obesity in kids then was pretty low. We were all very active.

I know juice isn’t great for teeth but I don’t see it as a huge issue, it’s not like fizzy drinks. Fruit is also bad for teethe and is high in sugar but fruit is allowed in lunch boxes.

I should say this all goes out the window in year 7, they'll let them eat any old shit, which most of them do. DS2 has school dinners, and usually has a sandwich at first break and one at lunch, both accompanied by a fizzy drink.

Children should only be given water or milk. Anyone thinking fruit juice is one of the five a day is ridiculous. Akin to the US where Pizza is considered one of the five a day because of the tomato paste on it. It’s all about making children addicted to sugar.

I think this is another example of schools going way too far....it's none of their bloody business providing you are not packing alcohol in. Defo I'd write a letter to the Head/Governors complaining about it. Also, check what milk they are providing - unless it is skimmed and it probably is not, then the fruit juice is healthier anyway and I'd make that point. It's like rules on colour hairbands, and bags - just way OTT and teachers should have better things to do.
Plus, it's daft taking water in - can't the school provide it FFS?
If the concern is about dealing with all the waste and packaging, then just have a rule you put it back in your lunchbox to be dealt with at home.

Schools make these rules but then at discos or fundays they sell them cansnif fizzy juice at the tuck shop. Neither of my kids had ever has fizzy juice, then my 7 year old came out from a party day at school and had thoughts a can of Cole at the tuck shop.

The school also told me I couldn't send cartons of plain, whole milk (little carton with a straw) because it wasnt cold enough by lunch time and also they'd prefer I'd I sent semi-skimmed. Thermal lunch box with an ice pack. The milk was fine. I lost my temper at that one and they've left me alone since!

@Cailin66

Children should only be given water or milk. Anyone thinking fruit juice is one of the five a day is ridiculous. Akin to the US where Pizza is considered one of the five a day because of the tomato paste on it. It’s all about making children addicted to sugar.

But it is one of the 5 a day, according to the govt. And if it's only natural sugars, and not often throughout the day, what's the issue? Anyway, the more important point, is surely this micro level decision should be down to parents?

@Cailin66

When you've got a child with food avoidance then a glass is fruit juice or smoothie really isnt a bad thing

all the schools where I live havent allowed juice for years. Its just sugar and you can get the same nutrients along with fibre by eating the actual piece of fruit. Drinking juice regularly contributes to poor teeth and obesity, because its sugary but doesnt fill you up so you overeat.

Can you give her juice before/after school? The school will not want to make an exception for her because other children who currently happily drink water will start whinging about it.

@TheUndeadLovelinessOfDemons

I should say this all goes out the window in year 7, they'll let them eat any old shit, which most of them do. DS2 has school dinners, and usually has a sandwich at first break and one at lunch, both accompanied by a fizzy drink.

Surely by then it's up to you to tell them what to eat/drink??

*bought a can of coke

My kids school has this rule. I ignore it and send it diluting juice in my middle child’s bottle. My eldest will drink water. My middle child will not and gets headaches. It really annoys me as I send in fairly healthy lacked lunches for middle child. My eldest has autism and food sensory issues so gets what he will eat which the school are fine with.

Also, check what milk they are providing - unless it is skimmed and it probably is not, then the fruit juice is healthier anyway

This is rubbish. The reason children should be not be given skimmed milk is a) it does not contain enough fat (children do need some fat) and b) most of the vitamins in milk are fat soluble. This means if you skim out the fat you reduce the nutritional content. So what you actually give is the sugary part of the milk (less good) without the fat part (good for children).

I think giving children cow's milk is fairly grim. We all have different views. Which is why it would be best if the school stayed out of it.

Madness, my son is autistic and if they'd had this rule he'd have gone thirsty all day. In factvat that time his diet was so narrow he used to get what I knew he would eat.

At 18 he eats a huge variety of foods and water is a favourite drink.

If OFSTED are so anxious about dental health they need to put a bit of pressure on the Govt to train more dentists,

The schools are probably trying to cut down on the waste they have to dispose of. In DC school where no hot lunches are provided the children must bring all waste, packaging and uneaten food home.
Just decant the juice into a metal flask then the contents are unknown or give her water and juice at home for breakfast.

@TheUndeadLovelinessOfDemons

I should say this all goes out the window in year 7, they'll let them eat any old shit, which most of them do. DS2 has school dinners, and usually has a sandwich at first break and one at lunch, both accompanied by a fizzy drink.

We had some parents when ds went to secondary who were still holding onto the healthy lunch boxes with an iron fist. Still Sending them in with carrot sticks and hummus and boxes of raisins in year 9 - they tried to hang onto the whatsapp groups until the bitter end too so that’s how I know 😂

My ds is 19 now and chooses not to eat any shit (I mean, he’s not a saint, he’ll oder a takeaway once a month). He’s really into eating healthy and enjoys trying new recipes and cooking from scratch with me.

I honestly think it’s because I never made an issue with food. He didn’t have sugar laden snacks every day, but nothing was banned. He had a couple of wild years, year 10/11 where he would spend his pocket money on chips and sweets on his way home from school. But then HE realised he wasn’t feeling great and put a stop to it. I kept my mouth shut and let him figure it out.

On the other hand, the friends he grew up with where everything was banned, they still have no control. Now most are at uni, and out of homes where everything to do with food was regimented, they are eating junk non stop.

So, anecdotal evidence of my son and a few friends, I think I did ok allowing the odd bag of crisps and bar of chocolate without laying on the guilt.

Fruit is also bad for teethe and is high in sugar but fruit is allowed in lunch boxes.

To produce one serving (200ml) orange juice takes 3 oranges. So you get all the sugar of 3 pieces of fruit with none of the fiber.

This is why it is preferable to eat the fruit rather than drinking only the juice.

It's getting ridiculous and I think you should fight it. But e-mailing the school won't acheive very much.

The problem is usually not be a headteacher that has decided to make that decision on a whim, and will be able to change their mind the next week. There problem is (as with many things) a minority, but vocal and organised, group including parents that are campaigning and putting the time into PTA groups, governing body, etc. They don't just want the right to NOT put juice in their own kids packed lunch, they want no other kids to have it in their packed lunch so that their kids aren't the only ones not having it. When minority groups target change like that, arguing on "healthy eating" grounds, it's very hard for schools and governing bodies to resist. Unfortunatley, the only way to prevent it is for normal parents with a sensible perspective about food to get involved with the school decision making process, and mostly they don't bother, because they are by their nature, just more easy going and not "crusaders".

@DeepaBeesKit

Also, check what milk they are providing - unless it is skimmed and it probably is not, then the fruit juice is healthier anyway

This is rubbish. The reason children should be not be given skimmed milk is a) it does not contain enough fat (children do need some fat) and b) most of the vitamins in milk are fat soluble. This means if you skim out the fat you reduce the nutritional content. So what you actually give is the sugary part of the milk (less good) without the fat part (good for children).

Nope. Until the age of 5 then NHS is clear children should not be given skimmed because they need the fat. After that it's much better - contains the same goodness but without the fat. Clearly for a school then, skimmed is better. Anyway, the point is more that OP can make these micro decisions herself - whatever juice, milk etc she wants to give her kids, the school can back off. I just think it's pathetic banning fruit juice whilst allowing/forcing kids into semi-skimmed milk.