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?!

Oh please ever send your child on a school trip!

So, what do you suggest then? They stop and have an Al la carte three course Michelin star restaurant meal?

If you can't see the odd bit of processed food is five, then you won't be able to deal with anything in a rational way!

Beef jerk, celery, pepper, and carrot sticks, hummus and pita, apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon, oatmeal squares, scone with jam, boiled egg, cheese and crackers, peeled orange slices, pretzels and mustard dip, rice crispy squares, grapes and berries, juice box, bottle of water,

What do hikers and campers do? Carry a fridge with them?

You can get cooler bags. I have a lunch bag with a cold block you freeze in the freezer to keep the contents cold. Lasts for a long time. I’d avoid dairy and meat too. Wrap all food in air tight sandwich bags or zip locks.

They all share food anyway

I had to pack food for DC school skiing trips and I'm pretty sure it was lots of crisps, dry snacks. They all got McDonajds at the ferry port along with other schools there

Pretty sure we didn't pack much that was healthy other than apples and carrots. Harder fruits and veg that can't really bruise is best

and nothing that stinks like tuna or eggs bleugh or anything curry based also bleugh

Sweets and crisps are normal coach trip fodder but orange and apple juice is good

Baby bell is perfect as are sultanas

Water lots

Always pack sweets to share with others that are individually wrapped

Pack a charger and power pack

Download films into phone and iPad

Pack headphones

Pack a headphone splitter

Pack a blanket and a pillow if they'll let you my DS was too embarrassed for those but DD loved them

If someone ate eggs or tuna or anything vaguely stinky on a long coach I would vomit all over them the second they took it out of their bag

It’s not really the schools fault that the only cold food your child will eat is a ham, cheese or tuna sandwich. Will he not contemplate a bit of bread and butter? Some grapes, an apple? A slice of cake?

This must be a windup, ever hear of apples? Bread? Bananas? Sunflower seeds?

OFGS no one is going to confiscating baby bel cheeses. You can get tuna pots that don't need refrigerating but would be very smelly.

I thought there are strict health and safety rules for how long fresh food can be left out the fridge? Sounds strange that a school would go against health and safety rules. Only safe food would be unhealthy processed food, which shouldn't be what a school are requesting parents to provide.

Just some food to get them through an 18hr journey not an entire lifestyle diet change to food in packets @SusieLawson. 🙄

There are strict health and safety guidelines around a lunch box containing a prawn risotto or a sea food platter, you're correct. But its much less strict around a long life brioche bun, packet of crisps and an apple.

Please get a grip.

This is a total non issue! There are loads of easy options as suggested by PPs.

Fruit, crisps, granola bars, chocolate, juice cartons, pastries, honey/marmite sandwiches, dried/smoked meat, bagels, popcorn, cakes, muffins, seeds. They can have a pretty balanced meal but to be honest one meal of junk food won’t do any harm! There are some processed cheese you can get in B&M that don’t need refrigeration too, like a cheap dairylea.

Just saw your kid won’t eat marmite, as others have suggested freeze a few ham/cheese sandwiches/bagels/brioche for the later meal.

Oh shut up ffs

Op nothing you have described is out of the ordinary for a school trip, all totally normal. You keep coming back to the cost, mentioning it several times and I think that’s your real issue. You’ve decided to send your child , you had a choice, stop moaning about it and looking for faults

And no one is going through kid’s lunch boxes at customs, that’s just nonsense.

In my experience they don’t even check passports! Apart from the adults obviously.

Yep, I can only remember once and that was on the way back. They just wave us through

Make sure you give them enough as my son would've eaten most of that by the time they hit the motorway.

Good shout. I could murder one of those!

Really? Did that happen in the last 2 years?