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.

I agree OP.
I wouldn't like eating cold McDonald's fries but a burger or some chicken nuggets would be OK.
And if, as you say, it got left over from the previous night (maybe there was an accidental over-order) I'm sure there are lots of kids who'd be very happy to hoover it up for lunch the next day.
Nutritional content not fantastic but on an occasional basis, not a problem.

I’ll get flamed but a sandwich, cereal bar, fruit is not sufficient.
Depending on how the lunches are timed in school there's not always that much time to eat (DS1 complains about this).

We go to McDonalds fairly often (handy after football matches in random towns), but it's horrible as soon as its cold.

We are lucky at the DCs school they don't mind thermoses of warm food...mine tend to alternate between sandwiches or a thermos of leftover pasta or noodles.

Your bar is low

not if you have read the article.
they said, It was a shame to waste it,
that is a very good attitude.
dont waste food.
i bet the child loved it and their friends laughed about it

Yeah that's what I think too ''can I save my nuggets for tomorrow's err ok

I'm so confused by your statement that "The worst packed lunch is lunch." What do you mean? 😕

I have noticed this kind of food on a special 4th July type menu at my sons school. But then they were served with lettuce and tomato on the mini burger, sweetcorn on the side and apple pie dessert. It feels a lot more nutritionally rounded than this offering when its part of the school dinner.

It’s not no but it’s up there and the kids I saw with it didn’t particularly seem to enjoy it.
The worst packed lunch I saw was mint sauce on mouldy bread because “Daddy didn’t have anything else”.
Lots were unhealthy. Chocolate spread on shite white bread with chocolate mousse, a couple of chocolate bars and a chocolate milkshake,
a grab bag of crisps and a yoghurt,
two cinnamon buns.
Even just the most popular lunch that crappy,
smelly, packet ham on white sliced bread with crisps, a chocolate bar sometimes a ‘kids yogurt’ and a token piece bruised apple or banana that doesn’t leave the lunch box every single day is pretty rubbish.
I’ve sent my kids in with cold pizza though which no doubt some people would disapprove of.

The answer is would the adults like it? Cold happy meal to take to work, no chance of heating it up anywhere. Lazy parenting. Like a pp said loaf of bread and jam would be better.

I’m not sure, I see a LOT more overweight children, heading towards diabetes and heart disease than I do skinny undernourished children.

Obviously there are some children who have very little to eat (which is parental neglect - even if you’re on the breadline, there are food banks and social care who can help) but there are an awfully greater number of children who are being fed crap constantly. High salt, high fat, no vitamins, fibre or protein.

Im sick of “fed is best”. It isn’t. Parents need to raise the bar and feed their kids a quality diet. McDonald’s isn’t cheap. If they can afford a happy meal, they can afford cheese, bread, cucumber and tomatoes and make it spread. Let’s stop making excuses for shit parenting.

I kind of love the level of give no shits. I’ve sent the apple bags from McDonald’s as lunch before but wouldn’t send any food that’s supposed to be served hot

The key to avoiding outrage about ‘junk’ food with MNers is to rename it, preferably in French.

So a bon repas consisting of hamburger froid et frites is all good. Plus it was all cooked from scratch, by McDonalds. 👍

You can always Google I suppose.

But it has literally nothing to do with anyone learning to cook or to do any basic household task.

It’s maybe not the worst but it’s far from ideal.
It isn’t exactly hard to make a sandwich/wrap and put it in a lunch bag with some fruit.
Cold Maccies is vile so should be binned if not finished.

It’s the height of shit parenting. The bar is so low these days though I’m not surprised people are defending this. What a depressing time to be a child.

I’m always shocked at the lengths people will go to in order to justify or minimise bad parenting.

As I one-off, assuming the child was happy enough to eat it, I couldn’t get wound up about it. I’d assume it was leftovers from a birthday party or something and the parent was just at the end of their tether after organising the party. It does sound gross, though.

I love a MacDonald's but eating yesterdays leftover maccies would make me feel like I'm eating out of the bin 😬

To eat at home: at least you are not wasting food (if you think a Happy Meal is food), but never to be sent in to school as a packed lunch.

Schools have packed lunch guidelines, and how are school staff expected to get children to eat a healthy well-balaced school lunch when there is a child on the next table with a McDonalds? I have seen this happen and apparantly the parents are spoken to regularly and still kept sending McD's in as a packed lunch. Just appalling.

The child didn’t want to eat it fresh, it’s not going to be anymore appetising 18 hours later. Sometimes it’s better to waste food.

As I’ve said, it may not be an indication of an issue, but things like this can indicator of a bigger problem.

I will be in the minority here but I always order an extra double cheeseburger if im having a drink to eat cold the next day 😋 😆.

I definitely wouldn't send my child with a half eaten happy meal though.

Have you tried a day old hamburger or cheeseburger? The fries are inedible if they've gone even slightly lukewarm. Properly cold they are tasteless greasy tough, chewy, like cardboard.

I quite like a McDonalds on occasion but it really is only edible if properly hot and thats hard to manage in store, its lukewarm by the time it gets to our house and we're 3 minutes away from our nearest McDonalds, even the airfryer, normally a reheating genius, struggles to return it to edible.

My 7 year old had packed lunch in reception. I put one of those Mr Kipling cake slices In that's in a pair. One got confiscated!
On a serious note I'd never send leftovers. My son is skinny and eats half of everything so his packed has to have loads of stuff in, normally
Salad
Fruit
Sandwich
Babybel
Mini cheddars
Cereal bar
Cake
Fruit shoot

I don’t think that’s fair at all.

There have been problems with all generations.

Would it have been better to be a child when they were regularly hit at home and at school. Diets of the past were often terrible.

Cold nuggets? Why? They serve hot ones at school.

And if it' so snobby, and rage headlines, as you say, why are you further baiting rage?

Super odd thread.

Is this a philosophical question to you? Something judge what you see as precious parenting? Of did you send your dc in with that? Or your Sil?

I happily take my kid to MacD but a left over? That sounds utterly disgusting. A weird thing that people who don't cook or enjoy food might do. Dysfunctional imo