School demanding packed meals for 18 hr bus trip

[Snoopmummy]

DC is off on a school trip involving an 18 hour coach journey. School is demanding we drop children off in the evening having fed them (fine), equipped with nut free snacks (makes sense). We have also been asked to provide TWO meals: a packed breakfast and a packed lunch.

That means breakfast will be consumed 13 hours after they set off and lunch will be something like 17 hours later. Is there any food that can safely last for that length of time in an insulated bag or flask? DC does not like dried fruit or cereal bars.

AIBU to consider asking for the risk assessment over this and suggesting we equip them with money to get food on the way as they will need to stop anyway?!

And be prepared to find a very blackened, squashed banana at the bottom of his bag on his return. For most youngsters their first trip away with school is a chance to cut free from mummy's nutritious obsessions, as they see them!

There are teachers willing to give up their free time for an 18 hour coach trip with a bus full of 9yos and you want to do anything other than throw yourself at their feet in thanks?!

Yes, YABU.

Send DC off with some hard boiled eggs, individually packed string cheese, an apple or two, maybe a banana, and bread rolls.

And lots of packs of popcorn and crisps.

Yup.

Same with voluntary organisations too.

"Demanding" is really odd language here. They are asking you to do this.

Quite.

YABVVVVU OP, and one of the reasons fewer and fewer people are willing to organise these extra experiences for our dc

In a plastic bag stuff a couple of meal deals with a selection of sweets cridos and biscuits. Freeze the sandwiches so they last until lunch. Some cans of fizz and a bag of fruit. Maybe some sausage rolls. Party or finger food.

Not the healthiest but you are trusting children to eat what you've given them. Too much is better than too little and provides room for swaps. Or to supplement the poor sod who left his at home. Plus the packaging can be rolled up in the plastic bag and thrown away.

Then enjoy a clean, quiet house.

I think you need to relax a bit. There's going to be a whole world of worries you'll experience as a parent which are more concerning than a sandwich thats been in a small cooler bag for a while!
Pick you battles, pack a cool bag and move on.

Demanding feels a strange word to use?

@MrsWhites
That post you quoted is clearly the work of a bot.

It’s 2 meals out of your kids life and you can’t give a processed croissant. I wouldn’t want my 9 year old buying food or if they did, it’s likely to be crap. Fresh fruit, a bread roll or crackers, crisps, a biscuit, hard boiled egg will keep. Or frozen sandwich and ice pack. It’ll be fine.

You are being ridiculous, it doesn’t really matter that pre packaged croissants have no nutritional value because it’s for one day, doesn’t even need to be pre packaged just wrap a fresh one in cling film. She can have the crossaints with fruit which will be absolutely fine and has nutritional value.

Go to the shops and have a look at the tinned aisles, there’s things like tuna lunch pots which don’t need to be stored in the fridge. One of these will be fine with snacks. Sure there’s other things if she doesn’t like tuna.

It’s one day.

I think you know you are being a bit ridiculous ❤️ Is this the first time your 9 year old has been away from home?

I really wouldn't worry about a "nutrisiously balanced" meal. It's one day - they'll be fine! X

😮🤯👸❄️

Can you use an insulted lunch box with an ice pack to help keep things fresh?

Crisp sandwiches 🤣, bottles of water, bananas, apples, mini packs of raisins, big box of quality street ! Mini cheddars slices baguette with butter baby bell

You know all those threads asking why teachers are leaving the profession.

This is why.

Honestly just go to the supermarket and pick whatever isn’t in the chilled aisles. No big deal.

They're really is no need to use those crappy long life cheapo croissants and pains au chocolat. Supermarket in store bakery ones will be fine. You could even include a little pot of jam with it and some fruit, for a very normal breakfast.

Lunch - an ambient tuna salad pot, a babybel and a bread roll or crackers, a cereal bar and some more fruit.

It really isn't remotely difficult. And no need for ice packs or insulated bags.

Your being ridiculous.

Eating shelf stable food for a day will not cause him to drop dead.

Flapjack
Banana
Apple
Crisps
Carrots sticks and hummus
Jam sandwich
Prepackaged brioche
Pack of mini scotch pancakes

Done

Ds school offers a trip with similar length coach trip. They have planned in stops for meals to allow children to get something, it’s in with the cost of the trip.

Get a life. Parents can google it themselves if they are that bothered. Are there EU officials climbing onto school buses to check sandwiches? I honestly despair.

Asking you feed your own kid? shocking. Really?!

You do realize that human have existed for nearly 200,000 years and refrigeration/freezing has been used for less than 200 years right?

I also studied nutrition and microbiology there is nothing wrong with eating a croissant (how much of a food snob do you have to be to want a risk assessment because a croissant eaten for 1 snack isn't 'nutritionally balanced' enough?) and there are countless options of food safe to consume after 17 hours.

Its almost like a tonne of food can survive naturally (whats wrong with an Apple or Banana?) and we spent thousands of years perfecting pickling, preserving, drying, smoking, fermenting etc...

If your kid really hates fruit, can't eat dried cereal and your too precious to give preserved foods too then frankly how do you survive life? non of that is the schools fault.

This a billion times

Anyone old enough to remember when a packed lunch was a jam sandwich or a buttered roll that you’d put your crisps in 🤣 an apple and a cake.

And we grumble that young people can’t look after themselves/won’t leave home 😀