To think that free breakfast at school is a bad idea due to the quality?

[Mushypeass]

Firstly, I fully agree with the principle of free breakfast for all pupils. My reservation comes from the quality of food that is often served up in UK school canteens. Obviously a poor quality breakfast is better than no breakfast at all but AIBU that it could encourage children to eat even more UPFs? For example, children who have may had a relatively healthy breakfast at home may now opt eat UPFs at school with their pals instead.

Seocondly, why is the food so poor in so many schools? How can other countries manage to provide their youth with nutritious and healthy meals but we can’t?

There’s no money that’s why!

What unhealthy foods are you seeing being provided?

I agree, I have nieces in the British school system and it seems appalling.
We are in France and seem to pay quite a bit more (5€ a day) for canteen but my dd gets a 3 course meal which is balanced with some organic and local ingredients, here it is all sent it to each school from a central kitchen, so all kids from age 3-16 get the same meal- obviously different sizes.
I think each school doing different things with many options will make it more expensive then all the free school meals it’s no wonder the food is rubbish

Holy fuck.

Try coming to a school serving a community in the bottom 10% for deprivation.

Then come back and talk about UPFs.

YABVU.

1. You don't know what the breakfast will be so doom mongering about the quality unnecessarily.

1. I doubt that many families who can sort a breakfast at home readily are going to flock to this instead.

1. THE BIGGIE. You said yourself some breakfast is better than nothing. You are throwing obstacles up against this from a pearl clutching, privileged "what about the UPF" standpoint - how on earth is that a justification for not feeding children in need one way or the other!

I agree with you if it's going to be white bread with jam or cheap spread or cheap nutrition free cereal. If it is a decent bread with healthy toppings or porridge or fruit then great.

Try NHS reduced cost meals for staff, £2.50 and the portion size is suitable for a toddler!

I don’t work at a school but I visit them as part of my role. I’ve seen donuts, pizza, chicken wings, chips, chicken nuggets, cheese burgers, etc. quite frequently. Very few vegetables or fruit in my experience.

Our breakfast club offer toast, crumpets, bagels, Weetabix and cornflakes oh and fruit. Not the end of the world.

Every school I’ve ever worked in has a salad bar and fresh fruit.

It will be utter shite.

All school dinners are utter shite. And ours are no longer even cheap, but utter shite.

Despite that, a free shite breakfast is still better than no breakfast.

Let’s deal with one thing at a time, as a society.

You must be working in a different area to me then.

FGS some breakfast is better than no breakfast.
There are children who go to school with nothing in their stomachs.

I’ve already stated that point in my OP. That is not what I intended to discuss.

Welcome to austerity Britain.

My kids school breakfast club was rice crispies or cheerios, white bread toast and jam, hot chocolate or juice to drink.

for breakfast?

Be angry that it's needed in the first place

I’ve visited over 100 schools in the past three years and have not seen this. They all have salad bars, healthy options. I usually get my lunch there by choice!

Porridge is cheap and filling, that’s always offered at breakfast from what I’ve seen.

To clarify my comment, I meant be angry that children are going to school hungry because their parents can't afford to feed them breakfast in the first place.

Not everyone can afford breakfast for their kids, unhealthy food is better than no food at all.

So a poor quality breakfast is better than no breakfast but then in the same sentence it's not?

I'm not sure who appointed you judge and jury of the dining hall but it sounds like it doesn't affect your kids so just comes across as goady

Let’s deal with one thing at a time, as a society.

It would be good not to be storing things up, for problems in the future. The food provided should be of a decent quality. Porridge, wholemeal toast, fruit. Why would that be difficult, or more expensive than sugary cereal?

Now I like a big breakfast but that might be a bit much even for me

I’ve seen the menu for breakfast club at my dc school and it looks fine to me :
wholemeal toast with spread or jam
plain yogurt and they have toppings available - chopped apple and raisins usually
There’s usually fruit eg small bananas and satsumas
milk or water to drink
Each Friday they have banana pancakes on offer as well