"He eats meat, but can't eat any processed meat."

[Flangelica]

If someone said this to you when you asked about dietary requirements for a child, would you think they were massively w*nky/snobby, or is it socially acceptable and fine?

I'd rather you said he was sensitive to nitrates, then I'd know ir was a dietary restriction and not poncey parents

I used to roast chicken thighs for a play date. Efficient and healthy way to feed them, slightly more time consuming than fishfingers or pizza but no more work.

I wouldn't think anything of it and if I didn't have any suitable meat, I'd just serve a meat-free meal.

Well processed meat is really bad for you and the health risks are probably not taken seriously enough. WHO has processed meat as a known carcinogen. More of us should avoid and not give it to our kids. I say that as someone who's kid only ate ham sandwichs for about a year. So not wanky just sensible.

The child might be intolerant to sulphites or nitrates.

It's really scary how many people here think it's "wanky" and assume it's not an allergy when it very well might be an allergy. Nitrate allergies can be anaphylactic.

One of mine has a number of allergies so my go to assumption would be they have issues with preservatives etc.

(Seeing it through my own prism!)

Well first I'd ask why and cross my fingers that I hadn't invited a kid of one of those overly anxious parenting types who think pasata is a upf.

It wouldn’t bother me as the child would only get a vegan option here anyway if I was in charge of food.

You either give them something that’s not processed or avoid meat altogether which is pretty easy.

I don't eat processed meats except occasionally now, and I don't feed them to the children either but that is our preference, and we prefer to go veggie or vegan than consume cheap processed meat. I read an article in The Atlantic about nitrates and the health issues around processed meats and just never went back, except perhaps for a bacon sandwich once a month!

It's not hard to avoid processed meats so I'd just accept it and think what you like in private.

This isn't me, this was a child my stepsister had as a guest for a playdate.

She was really annoyed and thought it was really cheeky.

I think it's fine.

Can't do that - roasting is processing.

(we don't eat processed meat either, except some very occasional bacon, so if the consensus is that it's socially acceptable I'll be relieved too. I'd never have had the nerve to say it previously, but this thread is making me think it might be fine!)

There are people who are sensitive or allergic to things like nitrates. They might just say processed meat because it is too complicated to be more specific.

But it's also possible they are being wanky and a little precious. If they were like that about a lot of food stuff that would be my suspicion, but I'd cook something else anyway.

Being honest my automatic go to for a play date would be something beige and oven based - chicken nuggets and chips/ fish fingers etc. My DC eat healthily 95% of the time but if I was feeding another child I would default to probably something processed, as you assume they are more likely to eat it!

Unless it was for an allergy (in which case you would surely be told it was an allergy) I'd think it was wanky but just do pasta with a tomato sauce or something.

I don’t blame them. Processed meat is a carcinogenic. It literally causes cancer.

I will say, if it's just a dietary preference, I do think it's cheeky to say it at someone else's house. Health/religious type restrictions aside, you are meant to eat what you are offered as a guest.

If it is a preference and not an allergy, is it really the end of the world if they have chicken nuggets as a once off? Id think the parent needed to relax a little ….

It's not fine. If you hand your kids over to someone else to feed and then suggest that their quality of food doesn't meet your minimum standard, it's rude. The odd chicken nugget here or there, allergies not withstanding, it's a small price to pay to widen a network of school friends and enjoy occasional playdates.

Yes exactly, for a play date I'd definitely be going for the easy crowdpleasers.

Er, no. Not in the accepted sense.

Mostly I'd assume it was a preference..but I did have to go on a suphate free diet for a while and that meant no processed meat.

🙄🙄🙄

Not the kind that involves additives which I'd assume it was something to do with.

Yes I found roasting (or slow cooking) a chicken was a go to. Then either mash/roasties for the coeliac or make your own wraps for the fussy.

Greggs cheese and onion pasties it is then!

I'd struggle to know what processed meat meant. Obviously no ham, sausages, nuggets etc. But chicken curry? Spaghetti bolognaise? I'd also need a bit of notice. I think in that instance I'd probably ask the parent what will they eat.