School Dinners - again!

[Creole]

Hi all,

I'm interested to know the views on people about about this subject. I know it had been debated to death both here and on the media.
But basically at my son's school, the school dinners are really fantastic (they claim it had been before the Jamie Oliver programme), cooked from scratch with wholesome meals and ingredients. But yet the majority of school children are still on packed lunches. Parents have the choice to sample these meals through taster sessions that they organise every so often. But still kids are coming in with packed lunches.
The school have tried and failed to win these parent over but to no avail.
There is also evidence out there which seems to indicate that kids concentrate better after a good hot meal than a cold sandwich.
My son has been pestering me for packed lunches as he is in the minority, but I so want him to have a hot meal at lunchtime.

So why are people so in favour of packed lunches when you have a good choice at school? Is it a middle class thing? Or parents want to control what their kids eat at school?

Anyone??

Daisy - I think you've missed my point.
The food is up the standard the parents are complaining about and what the press where going on about, but still the take up is in the minority.

And of course it is a matter of choice, no one's argueing about that.

creole have you asked the parents if they are happy with the standard of the food? You could solicit opinions from the parents and hopefully find out why they aren't taking up the option.

My DS has serious allergies so has to have packed lunch so I can controll his diet. I would LOVE him to have good well cooked meals at lunchtime. Would take some pressure off me. I know someone who admits her ds's school has fantastic lunches but she gives her DS a packed lunch.

Her reason are

1. The cooked lunch is expensive
2. her DS is used to having his main meal at 5pm

It's about trust, isn't it? i don't trust the companies that provide food to schools to care as much about my child's nutrition as I do.

I will be sending ds with a packed lunch when he goes to school. The menu looks lovely, but then the menu used to look lovely at my school - the reality was often somewhat different.

It is very easy to serve nuggets, hash browns and a slice of cucumber, and tell them they have had chicken, potatoes and salad, which is what they will then tell their parents.

It is also very easy to keep slipping up with amounts, so you only have a minimal amount of the most nutritious choice, and the rest of the kids get jacket spuds with spaghetti hoops because there wasn't enough meat or fish to go round.

Also easy for a 4 year old to decide that as he has the option, he is going to have grated cheese and a dry bread roll, every day. If you give them a packed lunch, and tell them that they must put what they don't eat back in the box, you can see what they eat every day. With hot lunch, you only have their word.