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?

Agree that a school meals here are not good.

i left my husband when ds was 9. We had to move from an affluent area (and school meals were okish) to a deprived area. New school. Ds came home saying his packed lunches were often stolen (they were as he came home without the containers).

some children starving as no lunch or packed with a bag af crisps and a chocolate bar.

I know some teachers were bringing in food.

awful so free anything for kids is good imho. Right now many children are hungry so I’m not that bothered by quality (as this isn’t Italy) but give them food to at least fuel their school day. We’re a long way off from decent school / hospital food.

A fantastic, healthy breakfast is best but toast and processed cereal is much better than nothing. You seem to think nothing should be provided if it can't meet your ideal.

I think it's important for schools to offer breakfast to those kids that need it. It might not be the healthiest food, but realistically the parents of those children getting breakfast at school might not have the desire or the means to provide a healthy balanced breakfast. If it's a choice between no breakfast and a breakfast that isn't particularly nutritious, especially for a hungry, growing child with a day of lessons ahead, it's a no-brainer. Better funding is the answer, but with so many critical areas being underfunded I won't hold my breath.

When your household income is high enough to be able to spend a greater % of said income on food that isn’t UPF, then you shouldn’t be commenting about children being given free food that stops them feeling hungry for the day. And don’t come back at me with ‘UPF free food can be cheap as well as nutritious’ claims, it’s just not true.

Why assume it’s children who would not otherwise be fed -surely it’s DC with both parents working at breakfast club.

Most schools here are like this for lunch

Maybe I worded my OP wrong something is definitely better than nothing I agree!

We have a year 7 who is fed by school every morning - a bagel and a hot chocolate. Without that she’d have nothing. That way she can focus, school provides her uniform and washes it too.
Youre in a very privileged position if all you have to worry about is upfs. Making sure children are clean, dressed and not hungry is my priority.

I agree OP schools should not be lining up their pupils for obesity, diabetes and cardiac issues in later life.

It depends on the area here in France. When we were living in a left wing area they had a scaled system where parents paid between 30cents and 8€ a day for the school meal depending on income, same for pre and post school clubs. In right wind areas where the population generally have more money it’s a flat rate for everyone, the menu is excellent regardless though but no options other than a special meal for dairy, gluten free and vegetarian.

I think you'll find that there is more financial investment into school meals in France than there is here, via the School Meals Coalition.

France doesn't offer free breakfast to all children. People can either pay for better quality or accept what their given for free and be greatful. Can't you see where we are at as a country cutting disability benefits, carers allowance, heating allowance. Their is no money where else do you want the money taking from to feed these kids an organic wholemeal cream cheese a salmon bagel. Should we take it out the nhs or hospice care 🤔. Either feed your kid at home or accept what's offered.

Some kids won't eat the posh stuff, my daughter eats some form of chocolate cereal for breakfast every morning. She won't touch porridge, Weetabix etc. Plenty of kids are the same and it makes sense for schools to provide foods kids are likely to eat

That's awful this is where ss should be stepping in and doing something. Poor kid

You're right, the food will be "lowest common denominator" shite, because most of the kids won't eat anything else, and [parents] will complain about stuff that's not packed with sugar and/or fat. It's a real shame ... as people have pointed out, many other countries manage things very differently. It's a 'national attitude' thing, and is evident in many other areas of life, sadly.

There’s a lot going on, SS are involved and have been for years, but without school she’d go hungry, and this will be happening in schools everywhere

Out of curiosity what is everybody feeding their kids before school?

Mine normally have Weetabix or porridge both with fruit. Sometimes a bagel or toast with peanut butter, occasionally some scrambled eggs. Not drastically different to breakfast club.

Am I missing something?

What other countries offer free breakfast to all kids

People can either pay for better quality or accept what their given for free and be greatful.

yes let's make sure the poor know their place shall we?
I bet George and Charlotte don't get fed unhealthy food - but it's ok, they deserve better than the lower class.

Exactly. Lots of talk about how it is ‘privileged’ to discuss UPFs and yet children who live in the poorest areas are at high risk to suffer from obesity in later life. The school serving these type of foods is a ringing endorsement. If they don’t have a family who can, who will teach them that these foods can be harmful?

Toast, pop tart, cereal. You're fine.

Perhaps if it wasn’t ‘free’ for everyone then the kids that really need it could be provided with better food.

I don't know, to be honest, I've done no research 😂
But I have experience of living and working in various European countries, and I just know that they would do things differently if that were the case. It's an attitude thing, as I tried to indicate.

Greek yoghurt with a compote I make from frozen berries at the beginning of the week with a drizzle of honey. I have weird kids who won’t eat cereal or toast or eggs, I think they have something against chewing in the morning haha.

Healthy food isn’t posh stuff or at least it shouldn’t be. This is exactly why we should be serving healthy food in school. It shouldn’t be the reserve of the “posh”.