Free school fruit should go

[benandoli]

In these times of cuts the free school fruit should go. Half the time schools dont give the fruit out as intended as they need to spend their time, god forbid, teaching. Fruit often ends up being taken home by teachers before it goes off. It must cost a fortune and I would suggest has little impact on children's long term eating habits. So is this a luxury we cant afford and should therefore be cut?

Oh I absolutely understand that and I'm not suggesting it goes.
However I think that a short burst of energy from fructose alone is probably not that good a snack. It is better than nothing because of the other benefits of fruit.
I have a slight issue with this because children aren't allowed anything else at our school. So, eg, I can't send ds in with a little bit of cheese to have with his apple. I don't think that's a very healthy attitude to take.

I think we as a generation are pretty undereducated in general about snacking, whereas it's probably one of the things that you can change in your diet with great effect on health. I'd like to see it better handled.
BUT that is totally outwith the financial resources available!

Gret (I obviously know you from a long time back if you know me as QOQ!!!) - thing is we're all made different. My DS1 doesn't "need" to snack and rarely does.

DS2 on the other hand just can't make it through from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner without a snack (or 3) thrown in.

Well he can - but he's a nightmare/not pleasant to be around.

I can rarely manage/want to eat breakfast, my brother can't contemplate doing anything in the mornings if he's not had his 4 wheetabix first.

(and he's not much fun to be around either if he's not eaten LOL)

oh gawd - just re-read your last post and realised you're not talking about people not needing snacks but rather re-thinking what is a good snack

Gretl - I'd assumed that the not allowing parents to supplement the fruit with their own choice of snacks is to a) ensure every child has the same snack on offer and b) encourage those who wouldn't normally eat fruit/wide range of fruit to have a go when all their class are having some.

You'd undermine the fairness and psychology surely if the school let you do what you want?

Hmm that's a good point.
I actually don't want things changed - I think it is SO much better to have fruit than it is to have either nothing or chocolate bars and monster munch (my playtime snacks as a kid, goodbye dental health etc).

Ooh monster munch. Have you seen that they have brought back the big size ones? DH and I have been eating them after DS has gone to bed .

Mmmm...pickled onion flavour

oh I craved Pickled Onion Monster munch like crazy when PG with DS2. how I did pile on the weight with the 6+ packs I ate a day I don't know,

6+ packs a day?! Torn between and admiration here .

I think on some days it was quite a few more than that - I know I went through at least one 6 pack multi-pack at day at one point

Your breath must have been a treat if they were all pickled onion. Bet your DP didn't say a word though

nope exH didn't say a word - just dutifully picked me up more multipacks on the way home from work

exH? But he sounds like a "keeper" .