To think peoples lives are crap enough without needing the government to interfere with Meal Deals

[Jeansmeansheinz]

FFS just let people have the pleasure of a Meal Deal. I really don't need the Government telling me what I can and can't eat.

Yes, well, the government doesn't need them because we taxpayers are paying 9 million a year to subsidise their posh Westminster restaurant.

Why isn't there fruit at the meal deal stands, by the way?

There is fruit. I've never seen one that didn't offer some fruit option, There's usually also boiled eggs.

And often crudités with hummus.

I agree obesity shouldn’t be seen as a choice or a right. In order to reduce obesity levels we need a long hard look at the nation’s diet, and a Government brave enough and caring enough to act (zero chance from the current shower!) But we also need individuals to be honest with themselves and accountable to themselves.
I do personally find it a bit odd that a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar is seen as a normal part of lunch for a lot of people.

Probably lower demand. People buy what they want to eat which atm happens to be what’s in a meal deal

I agree it’s becoming endemic though

It's only assumption that people will eat the entirety of a meal deal for their lunch. You might share it, or take part of it home for later.

It boggle the mind that they see this as a priority. People can't afford proper meals because the cost of living has skyrocketed. Even a meal deal a day isn't going to make you obsese if the rest of your diet and lifestyle is optimal, but people are living off refined sugar and beige because it's cheaper and lasts longer and frankly that's if they're having meals at all.
Also, while taxpayers are subsidising their parliament restaurant and bar they can f**k right off, they do not get to pay £6 for a steak lunch and judge the rest of the country. Ita the first thing that should be abolished.

Tesco triple cheese sandwich 618kcal with 26.9 grams worth of fat
Tesco triple chicken 504kcal with 16.5 worth of fat

pack of ready salted walkers 130 kcal (6%*) pr 25gram bag with 7.7 gram fat

so at least 630 or 748 with between 25-30 grams of fat.

A genuine question Does this happen? I will outright admit that even if I buy a meal deal it doesn't fill me up. So I tend to make salads and stuff that has less calories and doe fill me up. However a sandwich and a packet of crisp as most meal deals are I doubt fill that many people up.

I don't want to sound like a competitive under-eater but I sometimes share one with my husband if neither of us is particularly hungry - we only have them if we are on a day out, though. At work I bring my own lunch from home because it's cheaper.

You're right. They should just stick to reigning in junk food advertising.

I had one today inspired by this thread:

Red thai chicken sandwich: 396 calories, 13g of fat- quite salty but easy to keep in guidelines with other meals

Tropical fruit salad: 49 calories, bit of sugar as its just fresh fruit but on balance with the nutrients it's fine

Kombucha can: 15 calories, no sugar

A perfectly filling and satisfying lunch for 450 calories-ish. There were plenty of sandwiches and salads for around the same amount of cals, sure there were snacks like crisps etc but also boiled eggs, other fruit pots, natural yoghurt etc.

Hopefully if they ban unhealthy meal deals they'll keep some, I thought it was good value for £3.50.

Cookery classes are a good idea, just for the basics. My 12yo was v pleased with himself that he was helping out his mates in classes at school the other day - how to zero scales, turn the oven on etc. He’s done a bit with me, but mostly by watching, and I try and make it about the science- that’s his thing.

And it is so much cheaper to make a sandwich, fill a bottle from the tap etc - but learning takes a generation to filter down. I understand there is a poverty tax - you need to be able to have an oven and run a fridge - I guess looking at meal deals is a start, but not really the answer.

Well, all this will do is make me get a sandwich from our sandwich van at work which is always bigger and full of mayo (mmmmm) and one of their lattes so way more calories than the meal deals i get 😬

A meal deal would probably do a MN family of 5 (including obligatory 6'2 DH, and strapping teens) for at least 4 meals! 😄

My meal deal usually lasts 2 days. Day 1 eat 1 sandwich day 2 eat the other. The snack I choose is often the fruit pot and if I choose a drink with calories it is the innocent smoothie. It is great value for money. An innocent smoothie is sometimes over £2 so getting it in a meal deal = good value

my husband would think I had gone nuts if I suggested we share a sandwich. He is not a huge eater but he will eat a full sandwich for his lunch if he has sandwiches.

For me I simply don't find a meal deal fills me. So Id rather make my own.

Apparently it feeds two people, or one person over two days.

Any time there's a new restriction like the sugar tax, there's unintended consequences- the food industry responded by largely subbing sugar for sweetners and other additives such as thickners to replicate the consistency.

Demonising food isn't the answer. Different people have different dietary needs. Meal Deals are not "bad". Making a greater range of foods avaliable is more sensible. Some ranges do have healthier options avaliable. I suspect a likely outcome of "banning" meal deals is that items get priced closer to their individual prices, and it's more likely that the healthier end of the range would get dearer.

A mass-produced, chilled sandwich isn't necessarily more calorific or containing UHPFs than buying the components and assembling yourself.

Public health/ obesity is complex. Convenience and affordabilty are significant factors but not the only ones and the costings of meal deals is not going to make a statistically significant difference to public health.

It's another genius idea from the regional government that 3 years ago had restrictions on how long people could exercise out of the home, and how far they could go which was the most draconian in the UK.

The bakery near my work does a really good meal deal and although good value much more calorific than supermarket ones! Half a baguette with a mayo based filling like egg/chicken with a token bit of salad, any large hot drink and a cake for £3! Does taste good to be fair but most definitely not a regular thing.

Agree re calories but isn’t it more about the contents, nutrition etc and diet drinks are allegedly carcinogenic.

it isn’t all about obesity but also about what happens inside your body.

This is what I do. Poké bowl for lunch, crisps as afternoon snack. Chocolate bar shared with DH when the DC are in bed.

I'd want my meal deal with a bar of chocolate, I'm slim. Why should I be restricted? I don't know what the answer is but there'll be loads of factors feeding the obesity issue, not the chocca in a meal deal, and I suspect people will get their sugar fix if they want it except now it'll just cost more 🙄 I do not want greater lifestyle interference by the state "for our own good".

There is fruit available, carrots with hummus, wraps, pasta.... Its not all crisps and chocolate

A mass-produced, chilled sandwich isn't necessarily more calorific or containing UHPFs than buying the components and assembling yourself.

But it's necessarily UPF. Whereas a sandwich, or particularly a salad or leftovers etc from home are not necessarily. They only might be.

It's more effort to take stuff from home, but it doesn't have to be a large amount more, and it's so much nicer. Mass-produced, chilled sandwiches mostly just taste horrible imo.