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?!

2 Lidl pre wrapped pain au chocolate and a carton of juice. Not hard.

Not something that anyone would want to do when responsible for 30 or 40 nine year olds like OP 's son though. Sixth formers, okay.

Oh come on, this isn’t rocket science. A couple of marmite rolls, bananas, savoury rice or pasta salad in a pot, crisps, rice cakes. Do you really need a school to carry a risk assessment for this?

That's grim. I travelled as a child in school trips from N Scotland to Spain and Germany some went to Italy. Service stations were fine.

If they can't manage service stations thye shouldn't be in a trip that far or they fly.

Dd being a coeliac vegetarian has to take all food on any long haul flight she’s going on as they won’t cater for her. She has always survived the out of the fridge cheese sandwich and snacks. Rice cakes, popcorn, chocolate, long life brioch choc chip rolls. Just don’t pack chicken sandwich and pork pies.

AIBU to consider asking for the risk assessment over this

Seriously?
FGS, just pack something that doesn't contain anything that can go off. Just use your common sense or google for ideas.

There are plenty of ideas on here of what you can pack. Perhaps it’s not going to be completely balanced and nutritious but for 18 hours, that really doesn’t matter!

Forget the food. I’m horrified at the idea of an 18 hour coach journey.

I’m reminded of my French exchange at school where, rather than getting us plane tickets from Scotland, they dragged us on an overnight train to London, during which I got no sleep. I arrived exhausted and came down with a raging cold that I then passed to the whole French family I was staying with. It ruined the first week of my holiday and I honestly felt mortified.

The French children got planes all the way and only had a short coach ride at the end. I bet it didn’t cost all that much more.

Where on earth are they going that there’s no flight that would shorten the journey? An eighteen hour coach journey is inhumane and if one of the children is sick, half of them will have it by the time they get there.

Don’t send her then

It honestly does seem like a long ride for such young children, I would be more afraid of meltdowns and toilet accidents.

There are often weird threads on Mumsnet, but this is definitely this week’s weirdest. A risk assessment for a packed lunch?! Terrified of food turning sour and mouldy and toxic within 24 hours of you preparing it?

I literally can’t think of ANYTHING that would’nt be safe to consume, unrefridgerated, with 17 hours of being made. I’d probably steer clear of rice, but that’s it.

Are you always this dramatic?

I’m guess the teachers will be doing the same (whulst they’re giving up their own time) so they’ve presumably already thought about it.

Agree with others who went to school in Australia - freeze a fruit juice or two and it’ll extend the freshness of everything. I wouldn’t worry about the nutritional value - and you obviously aren’t too worried if the food your kid picked at a service station would be ok - for one day.

Definitely don’t follow the suggestions of those psychopaths who thought a tuna pot would be a
good idea on a packed coach!

We did the overnight sleepover at the science museum with a group and needed a snack to be eaten around 8pm to be brought.

we had pizza around 5pm

this is just a sample of what was given for a five hour minibus journey and three hours storage at the museum.

1. 2 pieces of cold toast in foil.
2. tuna sandwiches - they smelt great
3. yoghurts with no spoons
4. sushi! Home made sushi!
5. a packet of jacob’s cream crackers- dry. Child is not a fussy eater.

we had to make a health and safety call on some of them.

all they needed was an apple, crisps and a biscuit and they would have been good to go. Luckily we had cereal bars, crisps and soreen.

how about a lunch bag with a frozen water bottle for a sandwich, breadsticks, vegan sausage rolls, yoghurt tubes ( it says they can be out for hours. The water will keep it cool and then melt to be a cooler drink.

When I go camping I always freeze a box of rosé to put in the cool bag. Keeps everything cool until the next day and often it's still a little icy when you come to drink it.

Said bottle of rosé to be given to the teachers once it’s done the job as they bloody well deserve it 😂

So don’t do it. Let your child starve if you can’t think of a solution despite there being so many. You can always blame the people giving up enormous amounts of their time unpaid. Contrary to popular opinion, they are paid nothing extra for running school trips. Yes, they do get to go to wherever the trip is going but it’s hardly a holiday! Try being grateful for these people instead of being so negative.

What a fuss ass. Will DC eat fruit scones, cheese scones, hot cross bun and fresh fruit? It doesn't have to be conventional breakfast food just this once.

Famous Five and the risk assessment for a fucking picnic

Where on earth are they going that there’s no flight that would shorten the journey? An eighteen hour coach journey is inhumane and if one of the children is sick, half of them will have it by the time they get there.

Lots of school ski trips do this (not usually till secondary age though). There's loads from schools all over the U.K. crammed into the February half term week, there probably aren't unlimited flights and I'd imagine they're often prohibitively expensive on top of the other costs.
DD went three alternate years, they have a whale of a time.

I think OP doesn’t realise the only risk assessment that’s needed is by her to make sure what she puts in packed meals will last 18hours

Eh! Banana, apples, 2 satsumas, grapes.
Croissant or Pain au chocolat
Popcorn
Crisps
Cheese, jam, marmite sandwiches, cream cheese - goes in frozen.
Frozen frubes
Bit of cake

And the problem is in relation to usually well fed, healthy children?

Where tf are 9 year olds going on an 18 hour coach trip?!

PMSL laughing about a demand for a risk assessment for a sandwich.

What happened to common sense and getting on with things? 🤦🏻‍♀️

😂👏🏼😂👏🏼

Inhumane?