Quite cross - since when did fruit juice become a no no?

[contentiouscat]

DS came home today and told me he had been told off for having fruit juice instead of water in his lunch bag. Well im really puzzled and cross about this for a few reasons.

He also had a bottle of water which he knows he keeps in the classroom - last year it regularly came back for refilling but they are obviously not encouraged to drink it now as since he changed classes as it is hardly touched. This isnt because he has the juice as he has always had both.

I was given a 'pack a healthy lunch-box' leaflet when he started at the school this was produced by dietitians for the county and suggested.

1. "Plain or flavoured milk" - hardly practical as their food is just kept in the cloakroom and not in a fridge.
2. "Pure fruit juice" -
3. "Low calorie squash or fizzy drink" - I dont give them artifical sweeteners, they have fizzy drinks as a treat but not for school.

I think the stuff is revolting but he loves cranberry juice and I was under the impression it was rather good for him, contains vitamins and counts as 1 of his 5 a day?

I hardly send him with a crips & chocolate feast!! He has a (wholemeal or 50/50) sandwich containing grated cheese, cheese spread or meat. A fromage frais and sweet treat (eg home made flapjack, oat biscuit or carrot cake)

Excuse the length of this I just needed to vent!!

What makes me laugh is I KNOW that last time they went on a trip they were requested to have "water only" I thought "fair enough the coach would get sticky" but other parents were sneaking clear squash into the bottles.

DH and I have some friends whose son had a mini babybel returned in his lunchbox as it was classed as 'junk'.

As far as I am aware Babybel is just cheese isn't it??

I think babybel is just a fun way of getting children to eat cheese...obviously I can understand them being unhappy if he had 6 of them in his box but I dont think 1 is a shooting offence!

I don't see the problem with six. It is CHEESE!

just wish they'd encourage more kids to have school lunches - ours are sooo fabulous and half the class bring packed lunches!

when did cheese become a banned substance in schools

(At DS1's school, they aren't allowed packed lunches. End of. Much easier. )

Agree about school lunches, too. So much more sociable, less hassle for parents in the mornings, and a choice of cold or hot food.

As a kid, I would always prefer a hot dinner to a cold sandwich.

at my sons school there is no provision for hot lunches, its packed or nothing at all

My ds found the noise and commotion of the lunch room incredibly distressing and couldn't cope. Packed lunches were a godsend to us, even though I personally find it the easy option to hand over a few quid and forget about it, instead of constantly shopping and making the blooming things every day.

My dd (13 months at the time) had an interview at a local nursery.
When asked what she drank I said she's bf and drinks well diluted pure apple juice (as recommended in all sorts of literature).
I was then informed that she would not be allowed to drink juice as they were a 'Promoting Health' nursery and she'd have to drink cows milk or water.

Have I missed something ?????????

(needless to say she never went back there)

Reading this thread, I'm amazed how school policy varies so widely. I do agree, Aloha, that if you've got a noise-sensitive child (and mine is showing signs of it), then the school canteen might be a bit of a 'mare.

Oh it was. He just couldn't even eat he found it so upsetting. I was gutted. I hate making wretched sandwiches - and panicking when we've run out of flapjacks. But he always takes plain water!

our nursery is water only too. i see that as a good thing. where have you read that juice is recommended macdog?

washer - babybel is the exact same as edam, but with a different taste because of the wax. (looked that up because my friend accused it of being additive ridden)

aside from the juice issue, they should be communicating the rules properly to parents to avoid unnecesary upset at lunchtime.

Ruddy, I read it in literature handed out by our local Health Authority and Dentist.
She doesn't get pure fruit juice, it's diluted about 1/20. So it's mainly water with a hint of apple juice.

NQC-as an aside,if a juice is labelled "pure" it cannot lehgally have anything added to it-even ascorbic acid/vit c.
Call the stuff a juice drink and you can add what the bloomin' hell you like as a manufacturer.

i would imagine those leaflets are saying that if you choose to give juice it should be diluted. they surely aren't saying giving juice is recommended are they?

Ah, I see what you meant.
I meant the diluting of the fruit juice is recommended.

(Whooosh: that's what I thought, but I've read otherwise recently, that sugar can be added just to bring a batch of unusually-not-sweet fruit up to 'par', iyswim. I'll try to get a cite.)

Yes, even if a carton of juice says "pure 100% juice, it can STILL have added sugar that is not listed in the ingredients. And incredibly this IS legal.