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Original poster

Lunch box inspections-Nanny state gone too far

119 replies

troll1 · 30/01/2007 21:38

Am I the only one in feeling annoyed when my 4 year old comes home with a sticker for having no chocolate or crisps in her lunchbox. I am a fan of healthy eating but if I choose to send her with a packed lunch surely it is up to me what goes into it. Cant stand the thought that she will be in effect punished by not having a sticker because I have put a small chocolate in for a treat-despite the 2 or 3 items of fruit she has as well. However what is really upsetting DH and I is that at 4 she is coming out with "too much chocolate makes you fat", "have sausages got fat in them?" etc at FOUR. We eat very heathily at home and I understand that the schools have got to try to educate everyone but I feel this is the Nanny State going too far or am I just being blardy minded?

OP posts:
GrumpyOldHorsewoman · 30/01/2007 21:49

No! I totally agree. I may endeavour to put healthy things into DD's lunchbox and always have, but I object strongly to this policing of school lunches.

DD1 is 12 now, but when she was in reception it was common practice to make the children empty their lunchboxes and sort their food into 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' . One day, some daft cow of a mother who was actually a doctor came in to explain what constituted unhealthy food during the rifling process, and included cheese! I would have thought a doctor would be aware of the growing numbers of cases of osteoporosis in women due to cutting right back on dairy products as they are perceived as unhealthy or fattening. On her 1st day of school ever, DD brought home the chocolate digestive I had put in her lunchbox for break time because "They are not allowed". I wouldn't mind, but the school dinners were F**ing awful processed shite. Educate people about food, by all means, but this policing is a step too far

Licorice · 30/01/2007 21:55

Nanny state going too far.

bundle · 30/01/2007 21:57

I think it's fair enough, when she's at school and eating habits/furred up arteries are created during childhood. It would be different if they came to your house when you were having dinner...

GrumpyOldHorsewoman · 30/01/2007 22:02

But don't you run the risk of stigmatising children when you start segregating them over the food they bring to school? Children only have a certain amoount of influence over their parents, and there are many parents who wouldn't give a flying F*ck if their child came home from school and said they had been told to bring fruit to school. It's not their fault if their parents don't feed them healthy food, but in doing this you are making them feel it is.

Spidermama · 30/01/2007 22:02

My children have to line up along the table, their lunch boxes open with them standing behind them, while a teacher comes around with a clip board inspecting each and every lunch.

Those with transfats, aspartame or more than 4g of sugar in their lunches have to eat lunch in nothing but their pants.

Those with quinoa, home made bread or pulses are given gold stickers and have extra rights in the playground.

If anyone brings in more than 7g of sugar or two bad for you snacks (eg crisps and and chocolate biscuit) they're sent to the gym hall where other children (the ones with the gold stickers) are allowed to throw tennis balls at them.

You can bet I always prepare a healthy lunch for my kids. It keeps me awake at nights.

Licorice · 30/01/2007 22:04

Spidermama, I think that's perfectly reasonable.

Glassofwine · 30/01/2007 22:04

lol

bundle · 30/01/2007 22:05

lol spidermama
dd1 has school meals

FluffyMummy123 · 30/01/2007 22:05

Message withdrawn

Spagblog · 30/01/2007 22:05

pmsl spidermama.
If I had to eat my lunch in nothing but my pants when I bought something unhealthy I would be a damn sight thinner!

bundle · 30/01/2007 22:06

grumpy, i'd rather risk a little stigmatising than leave children to the mercy of their parents' crap food

Licorice · 30/01/2007 22:07

so schools should have more say than parents over what their children eat?

GrumpyOldHorsewoman · 30/01/2007 22:07

But the parents who send crap food will always send crap food. It won't make any difference in that respect

FluffyMummy123 · 30/01/2007 22:08

Message withdrawn

bundle · 30/01/2007 22:09

why not? it sounds like they make better decisions and according to grumpy they'll "never change"

FluffyMummy123 · 30/01/2007 22:10

Message withdrawn

bundle · 30/01/2007 22:11

they don't have to send their kids there, they could home-ed

FluffyMummy123 · 30/01/2007 22:12

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Whizzz · 30/01/2007 22:13

After starting work in a secondary school, I've been shocked about how little kids know about food - in cookery lessons, yr7 kids have asked things like 'can you eat the seeds in tomatoes?' and 'how do you take the outside bit off a banana'

GrumpyOldHorsewoman · 30/01/2007 22:14

It's naive to believe that everyone has their children's best interests at heart. Fortunately most do, but there are many who don't. I didn't say that nobody would ever change, but the parent who sends their child to school with a cold McDonalds hamburger and a can of coke in their lunchbox despite all the media attention on diet and childhood doesn't care enough to change. Evry other programme on TV at the moment seem s to be dedicated to childhood obesity or anorexia. It's fucked up that we have introduced these concepts to children without just gently nudging them towards the better choices

bundle · 30/01/2007 22:15

cod
shall we have a blue rinse?
and shake our walking sticks at passing yobbos?

(how's life on teh bench btw?)

FluffyMummy123 · 30/01/2007 22:15

Message withdrawn

bundle · 30/01/2007 22:16
Tortington · 30/01/2007 22:20

i have a major issue with the extra curricular - now curricular teaching in schools. The state is bringing up our children and we say " well better than leaving to mercy of parents crap food"

no. no. no.

this is a cheaper way for the govt. instead of educating parents properly they instead cram everything into the school day. teachers are expected to do more and more.

things like citizenship for gods sake! sex education, healthy eating and theres more i'm too tired to remember. school should be for a different kind of education - the other things whilst 'backed up ' by school from time to time should be a parents primary responsability.

how easy it is to say this doesnt apply to you becuase your a good parent. when in fact it does.

instead of putting money into schemes to educate and reach adults - its easier to do all of this through schools - just how much can teachers do in a day?

the state is bringing up your children. through the education system.

Goodasgold · 30/01/2007 22:24

When dd1 was in y1 her teacher called me aside in the playground and told me that dds lunch box was too low in carbs. It made me feel very bad, and confused too because dd1 is fairly particular over food and they only got 15 minutes to eat their lunch in. She is always asking me for less food so she doesn't miss play. At her school choccie biscuits are allowed, but not chocolate, so a Kitkat is fine, but Green & Blacks is not.

Again we try to be pretty healthy but I don't like being told what to do.

It makes me want to give her a lunch of black coffee and donuts!