Primary School pizza

[orchardgirl4]

My child's school has arranged a pizza day as a school trip for year R (4 and 5 year olds). They had a pizza activity day at school a few months ago, and a couple of months before that the school catering company had a pizza day. With junk food advertising just announced, by UK gov, to be banned before 9pm and childhood obesity rates at 25.5% of children by end of year 6 and 15.4% overweight, I am quite cross and fed up of pizza being normalised and hyped up by the school. I want them to instead take the opportunity to cook a healthy dish, or look at and taste different seasonal veg and fruit.
If I complain to the school, is this an overreaction on my part? Would it make it difficult to have conversations with my child's teacher in future, having complained? Or am I ahead of the learning curve (I work with type 2 diabetic patients so I am very aware) and I should pull them up on this?

DS nursery are making pizza next week. They'll go to the shop in the morning to buy vegetables to go on top and then make the pizza for lunch. I think it's an excellent thing to do. Mind you, DS loves a trip to Pizza Express so I think pizza is already very normalised to him!

Normalising pizza? The horror!!

You can't be serious.

And if you are being serious.

Just don't.

It's pizza. Not heroin.

Sorry but this is ridiculous.

Normalising pizza? Is pizza abnormal? Surely many families have pizza as a treat? So it will be no more abnormal than, say, lasagna? Or chips?

What's wrong with Dominoes?
🤣🤣🤣

That's hardly comparable to the OP, who is complaining about 3 pizzas over several months.

It’s pizza, not crack.

Many, many people manage to eat pizza fairly regularly without becoming diabetic.

Normalising pizza you say? Yes, absolutely raise it with the school. It’ll give the staff a giggle if nothing else.

FWIW both of my kids had school trips to pizza express in primary school and came home with what was essentially cheese on toast and some random bits of veggies they’d made themselves in a pizza express box. And paper hats. We also make pizzas at home. It’s very normalised in our house. Better call social services on myself and my terrible parenting.

I am quite cross and fed up of pizza being normalised

The catering company my school uses has pizza on its menu once a week, let alone children having it once every 8 weeks or so. However, school menu pizza really isn't an issue. It's a thin whole meal piece of dough with a bit of cheese and tomato on top. It's served with salad or vegetables here. Doesn't really come under 'junk food' to be honest - it's not like it's a deep pan, stuffed crust with a ton of toppings and double cheese.

Our reception children did some free pizza express trips a few years back, not long before the pandemic. The children each made a small pizza there, watched how they cooked them and got to take them home in a take away box. It was a basic cheese and tomato pizza but the children loved that trip - watching how dough is made, rolling out the dough for their own pizza, spreading toppings in, watching it cook - and the icing on the cake, proudly carrying home their own thin and crispy margarita! The key stage 1 children who saw them return to school with them were so envious!

Homemade pizza really doesn't have to be junk food. They are a world away from a big greasy take away one - and to be honest even one of them isn't so bad every couple of months or so!

I'm going to take a wild guess...

And say you're the M&S/ketchup/McDonald's food obsessed poster? Try again.

Normalising pizza 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

You are being ridiculous. Hth

Weird. Our school has never had a pizza related activity. I feel like they’re missing out!
My children hate the school pizza… it’s made with a cauliflower crust! They’re partial to a Pizza Express though.

Yeah I think you’ve got it spot on!

Pizza can easily be eaten as a healthy diet.

The reason pizza is often classed as junk food is because it’s processed and full of extra crap, people also eat massive portions too.

But proper pizza is pretty healthy. It’s basically a cheese and tomato sandwich.

Making your own pizza is a great idea and they can add on extra veg and protein to make it even better.

Yabvvu

This is supposed to be a fun activity

Lots of kids find unfamiliar foods stressful and not fun. Pizza is reasonably accessible and adaptable to most palates.

If you were moaning about something packed with sugar like doughnuts you might have a point but pizza isn't a massively unhealthy food and kids can genuinely enjoy making it and eating it. They aren't going to get that much fun out of making nut loaf

My DS made ‘pizza’ on bagels at school. They made a tomato’s sauce , tried different herbs and added onion mushrooms pepper , ham etc.

DS enjoyed what he made maving never been willing to have herbs in anything or pepper. A winner in my opinion.

Pizza is just posh cheese on toast. Unless you have a gluten allergy / intolerance there is nothing nutritionally wrong with pizza, young children need fat, protein, carbohydrates, fibre all of which (toppings depending) a pizza provides.

It depends on the context. My Y4 child has to design a pizza from scratch. They go through the design process, cool and try different breads and analyse to decide the best for a base. This is all written up. They then look at the nutritional value and different flavour combinations, learning all the vocab as they go.

Then they make it and have to eat it. Then critique and evaluate.

O god!

This is my all time favourite post on AIBU. Normalising pizza 😂😂😂

Thanks all. I do agree about picking what I ought to complain about, and I'm glad I've paused to consider more perspectives!
The reason I think pizza is unhealthy is because it is usually made with white flour, which is quickly converted into sugar when digested, spiking blood sugar levels. The amount of veg with a pizza is usually quite minimal, hardly a portion. Incidentally, pizza is offered at lunch time most weeks, sometimes in disguise (e.g. loaded flatbread... a bread base with cheese and tomato).

I am quite cross and fed up of pizza being normalised
Bloody hell hope no one tells you about Italy.

Its bread, cheese, tomato and whatever topping. Not shit.

The world turns on white flour.