"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?

This is the first thing that came to mind for me.

It's possible to have an allergy/intolerance to tyramine which in process meats can be high. So I eat meat, but if I have chorizo or similar processed meat then it can trigger a migraine. However for me this also means soy sauce, citrus fruit and other things are a problem as they all contain tyramine. Maybe the child is allergic/intolerant to some substance found in processed meat. FODMAP diets try to overcome this if you want to look it up.

I'd just feed them an omelette or something.

nor is mince processed.

This isn't common knowledge though. It was mentioned upthread as being processed.

So it is worth clarifying, or just asking for veggie food. There's a lot of ambiguity.

I might say "can he have mince" if I was thinking of doing a bolognaise, but generally I do it the other way round - I say what I'm thinking of feeding them and get the parent to say whether it's okay.

If it was can't as in an allergy to something like preservatives I'd think "Ouch, that must be really difficult to manage" and if it was can't as in "we don't allow it" I'd think "Ok, your choice, but I don't envy you trying to keep up a complete ban as he gets older." But either way, I'd probably just serve something veggie to ensure I didn't accidentally get something wrong, and think no more about it.
If it's an allergy or other medical condition obviously it should be taken seriously and even if it's a preference, it's not so different to a parent telling you their child is vegetarian or something, and most people wouldn't bat an eyelid at that. The only time it's ever bothered me if guests have dietary requirements is if they don't say so in advance

I’d think they were a bit thick for having an issue with processed meat but not regular meat and dairy etc. Just go veggie/vegan!

if it were due to allergy or intolerance then I’d accept it but if it was just because they prefer them not to eat it then I’d be a bit miffed with the snobbery.
My children prefer real meat to processed but will always politely eat anything their friends parents gave them.if the mother thinks she’ll be able to control this forever then she’s in for a shock.

It's not quick, but it is easy.

If you need something on the table in 20 minutes then no, obviously it won't work, but if you can stick it in the oven 90 minutes before you plan to eat then it's a great option.

@SummerLobelia clearly.
I said I would tempted. Not that I would.

I would inwardly eye roll and serve a vegetarian or vegan meal.

I wouldn't think it was snobby.

It may well be an allergy or intolerance to one of the common additives put in processed meat, or perhaps the child just genuinely doesn't like processed meat.

From a very young age I has struggled with any sort of processed meat, it's a texture thing for me. I am not sure exactly when it started but I know I had it by the time I started primary school. I couldn't eat a lot of processed foods, particularly poultry or sausages, the texture made me feel physically sick. It has got a little better as I age, I can now manage course sausages, but processed chicken or Turkey is still a no no.

Not all children enjoy chicken nuggets and other processed meats.

Unnecessary for a lot of people. Good quality, organic meat and dairy can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet. Processed meat is unhealthy. As are a lot of processed meat substitues.

This would not bother me. I would just do a vegetarian meal.

@Flangelica I would serve your child organic meat if you transferred money to cover the extra cost. Otherwise forget it.

I think unless the child is allergic then they eat what they’re very kindly offered by other people at their houses

I’d have already asked if he had an allergy so I’d hope to have been told . Most kids don’t like something so historically I’ve stuck to pizza … only had one kid who doesn’t like it ever

Is it only me who has a standard offering for all play dates: pasta with tomato sauce, veggie sticks or steamed veggies on the side, plenty of fruit and toast with butter/peanut butter/cheese spread for those who won't eat any of the above. I never serve meat; plus we rarely eat it.

I'm not sure how kind it is to be feeding other people's children carcinogens TBF. It's better than nothing if they're starving, but otherwise maybe not.

My daughter has Crohn's and one of the things we avoid in consequence is highly processed food, meat included. Mind you for a sleepover I would allow a bacon sarnie; it's just we have these as occasional foods rather than staple. She would also come with a bucketful of medicine so you would know I wasn't making it up.

My point is, preservatives etc are damaging to some people. Maybe there is inflammatory bowel disease in the family and therefore they are cautious about his diet?

No processed? Tripe and liver is OK then.

My child has an allegery to some preservatives used in processed meat. So whilst at home I know what he can and can't eat from experience, this is not always the case when he goes out

The posters who have said things like "all processed meat is shit anyway", are you talking about chicken nuggets, cheap sausages etc, or do you include things like sausages and bacon made by farmers/butchers with all natural ingredients, or farm cured ham? I'm just curious because, to me, there is a world of difference between them and freshly farm-made sausages can be so good. Obviously I know different strokes got different folks, so this is a genuine not meant to be goady question.

Do you also realise that the phone you’re using to type this, the WiFi, etc are also carcinogens? Also the air you’re breathing, very likely to be polluted.

Carcinogens? Wow you really do have a credibility problem