To think a leftover happy meal isn’t the worst packed lunch you could have?

[Tulipdreams]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teachers-share-students-worst-packed-36878989.amp

Hear me out first. Of course the article is pretty terrible, children being sent into school with only packets of biscuits for lunch, stories of children having no milk for their cereal and bringing in energy drinks.

But one example was a child took a leftover happy meal to school. Aibu to think that this isn’t the worst thing you could have?

No I have never sent my child into school with a cold takeaway for their lunch, and it would be concerning if it was happening all the time. But I would eat leftover McDonald’s if I hadn’t eaten it the night before. It’s probably no worse than taking a ham sandwich and a packet of crisps (which would be deemed as acceptable).

When I was a child most kids took meat paste sandwiches and a wagon wheel and that was a completely normal lunch.

MN is not the place for a poll like this - it's full of the "my child only eats organic food and a UPF has NEVER passed their lips, and as for sugar, no no no" types.

In the real world, full of real people, we eat McDonalds and enjoy it. - sometimes even cold.

Not the point but I love a cold mcdonalds cheeseburger. When I was pregnant I would buy them specifically to have the next day.

Maccas has gone downhill quite a lot. Last one I had was particularly crap and that was 'fresh' and 'warm'.
I'm with the poster who said if you can afford that rank salt laden crap, you can afford a cheap loaf and something to put together a sandwich!!!

I still feel so sad when I think about it now. The pop tarts child is in care, the pizza they moved away to a different jurisdiction- probably to avoid SS but we flagged it with the next school so hopefully they have been monitored. Hard knowing you’ll never know! We have a dc with asd who comes in every day with the same cold chicken nuggets for snack and lunch as it’s literally all she eats, which we know and it’s fine. You need to look at the bigger picture often

Yabu because there is no nutritional value whatsoever in any ready meal or takeaway. So sad that children are not cared for properly in these days when we can choose whether or not to have children

An absolute minimum of parenting is keeping them clean and fed decent food. Good food to help them grow and learn.

It's neglectful and awful that they don't think more of their child.

in my opinion there’s a massive difference between a hot McDonald’s and one that has been sat for 5mins. They just go yuk. I can’t imagine what most of it would taste like the following day.

a cold pizza however is something else.

Cold fries and cold nuggets? Yuck

a school meal is about £2.50

I've definitely sent my child in with some cold chicken dippers and a pot of ketchup. Probably wouldn't go as far as putting cold stodgy fries in there but if the child likes it why not. Saves wasting it.

Exactly. Cold, soggy chips and a cold stuck together burger? Urgh.

I couldn’t even take this to work as the chips would have to go in the oven or air fryer to stand any chance of being enjoyable. We only have a microwave at work.

Yeah right 🙄

I'm also a teacher. Clutch those pearls......😂

It would be absolutely revolting! I would rather have nothing to eat for lunch than eat stone cold, limp fries and a cold, soggy burger. I can think of few things less appealing.

So not in general then if you don't count home made food.

Verging on neglect.

Define ready meal and takeaway , or rethink that sweeping statement

A 100% burger, which McDonald's is, has got to better than ultra processed ham. Maybe not everyone's taste, but perhaps said child likes it cold.

It depends really if its a continuous thing then I would be concerned. I am a Childminder and i have seen some pretty horrendous packed lunches which border on neglect.
However i don't like wasting food so keep leftovers in general and my son has gotten that habbit off me so if he can't finish his food he sometimes asks if he can put it in his Lunchbox for school the next day. Mc Donalds is a rare treat for us and my son loves it so if he doesn't finish his happy meal (would be a big if) he would ask to take it in with the addition of his veggies and fruit to balance it out.
But I do aggree with the fact that it shouldn't be a regular thing. And if its a hard times thing you could get a couple of days worth of igredients if you buy supermarket value products or wonky veg for about the same price as a happy meal.
I always keep a stash of ready cut veg like carrots cucumbers and peppers in my fridge for my family and always offer kids even if parents opt out of my consumables and pack lunches so that they have the option.

Apparently all these "holier than thou" posters know the nutritional content of every food that is available to eat!

I would be bored to tears with their lives.

The bread from the coop is nice, and less than £1. Pack of ham, honey ham, or chicken slices for just over £1. Multipack of crisps for £1.60. Same price for 3-4 days.

I send my kid to school sometimes with cold pasta from the night before

And?
Thats nothing like yesterday's happy meal is it?

We don’t eat McDonalds at all in our house. We are very anti-fast food. There is no nutritional value.

However, I did occasionally eat McDonalds as a child - it was a huge treat to have it. But even back then, no one I know would have eaten it cold. Even McDonalds throws the food away within a certain time after it’s cooked.

My daughters car is disgusting. I was cleaning it when I found a cheeseburger from macdonalds under a seat. It wasnt mouldy it didnt smell it was rock hard perfect in every way. Not a spec of mould.you could have put it in a toy box and it would pass as a toy. I think that's really worrying. So no cold macdonalds for me.

Working in a school I’ve seen left over burger chicken nuggets and fries on multiple occasions. Absolutely disgusting cold. Totally fine for a child to have a McDonalds on occasion but cold? No it’s not an acceptable lunch. Better than starving to death? Yeah, so if that’s your argument OP then I agree.