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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Packed lunches....Grrrrr

71 replies

HenniPenni · 26/09/2006 16:02

Rant alert....DDS school has banned all crisps, snacks, chocolate and chocolate covered cakes. But they are still allowing children to take things like cheese strings, cheese dippers, fruit winders etc.

Whist I agree to a certain extent with what they have banned, I have been extremely annoyed to find out today that they are not even allowed to take cakes that contain chocolate chips! how can they decide that but allow cr*p such as cheese strings/dippers etc.

I wouldn't mind but my DDs all take at least two pieces of fruit/veg, and to be honest their lunch boxes now look boring and unappealing.

OP posts:

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Gillian76 · 26/09/2006 16:04

How can they put restrictions on what your children bring for their lunch.

Not sure they can 'ban' food imo.

Iklboo · 26/09/2006 16:04

Peel a banana. Dip banana in melted chocolate. Put chocolate banana back into its skin and wrap it tightly in clingfilm so it still looks like a proper banana. tell DDs to eat it in secret!

Original poster

HenniPenni · 26/09/2006 16:10

iklboo, that wouldn't work (love the idea tho!)they have dinner ladies that patrol like henchman! had got around the problem by unwrapping said cake at home but we've been sussed!

Gillian, apparently it's come via the government, the school got in a dietician as they reckon that 3 of the pupils are obese (out of over 300)

OP posts:

ComeOVeneer · 26/09/2006 16:14

What constitutes a "snack" though? DD takes a small bag of dried fruit would that be considered a snack or not? I agree some kids really do take a bag of cr*p for lunch so it is good to see some efforts being made to sort the problem, but not sure the right decisions are being made at a lot of schools.

FluffyCharlotteCorday · 26/09/2006 16:19

It is rather despair-making that the people who are in charge of all this are not intelligent enough to know that a piece of home-made cake is much better than a chemical snack claiming to be full of "natural" ingredients. Natural my arse.

But then, if many parents were more intelligent, then I suppose lunchboxes wouldn't have got to the state where the government idiots felt they had to intervene.

(When lunchboxes are mentioned in connection with bureaucrats, does anyone else think of that judge who asked "What is Linford Christie's lunchbox?")

Spidermama · 26/09/2006 16:23

They've no business telling people what to put in their childrens lunchboxes. That's outrageous.

misdee · 26/09/2006 16:25

cheese strings are just chese thats been stretched etc, but nothing added.

cheese dippers are heavy on the salt arent they? fruit winders grrrrr.

dd1 used to get told off for taking in yoghurt covered raisins.

Blu · 26/09/2006 16:26

It's a bit puzzling.

DS is having a school dinner today, all Jamied - but our LEA was meeting and exceeding the 'Jamie' standards before, anyway - and the pudding is chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce. So don't know why you can't include cake.

Gillian76 · 26/09/2006 16:28

Totally agree with Spidermama. It's difficult for the kids tho. If you ignore and give cake, etc you risk kids getting 'told off' at school.

Have you had any formal communication from school? It would be interesting to see how they've worded this. I would raise the issue with the HT or PTA. Don't think even the government can tell you what to feed your child.

joelallie · 26/09/2006 16:30

Why do they have to ban particular things? Why not look at the meal as a whole and see if it reasonably sensible and balanced. I'd be pretty p*ssed off if the school stopped my kids eating anything in particular - surely it's the lunch boxes that are 100% processed crap rather than a reasonable mix that are the problem?

But there we go....I guess the motives are right.

BTW I agree about cheese strings - what's so wrong with simple cubes of cheese?

Blu · 26/09/2006 16:38

I think it is fair enough to ban certain things in school. In ds's school (primary), they are not allowed to take snacks in (they are given free fruit and 'crudites' all day), and are only allowed water in their drink bottles. I can see that packed lunches of crisps, choc bars, sweets and fizzy drinks would cause much envy and hankering and cries of 'it's not fair' amongst the school dinner eaters.
But it needs to be logical and in line with waht is allowed in school lunches.
I wouldn't break the rules whilst they exist, though - dodgy precedent for your child.

SoupDragon · 26/09/2006 16:39

There's nothing wrong with cubes of cheese but, then againm, there's nothing wrong with cheese strings either. They are just cheese (although heaven knows what they've done to it).

Iklboo · 26/09/2006 16:41

Crudites? We got crudities when I was at school (as in people drawing kn*bs on your book & lads getting their willies out!)

SaintGeorge · 26/09/2006 20:13

Honestly, if you saw some of the crappy lunchboxes I see every day, you would understand why the schools get extreme with their lists of banned stuff.

Unfortunately those few parents who send the crap are the ones who will never listen unless you put outright bans in place.

milward · 26/09/2006 20:18

choc is good in the right amounts - why can't kids take in a piece of 70% cocoa

bambi06 · 26/09/2006 20:26

my kids school banned popcorn! and then when i asked why they said it was a choking risk!! bu then this new term they `ve said they can have popcorn but now kids are scared to take in popcorn in case they get told off again..imo itshealthier than crisps etc plus my dd loves nuts .seeds etc but obvioously cant take nuts but can take seeds...the mind boggles!

Original poster

HenniPenni · 26/09/2006 20:54

Comeoverneer, by snacks they mean cheddars etc,

Whist I do in essence approve of what they've banned I can't see the problem about a few chocolate chips in a cake, surely it is or should be upto parents what we put in our childrens lunchboxes

Misdee, you're right about the salt content in those dippers- I was shocked when I checked them, and as for chjeese strings, there must be some nutritional content missing after all the processing it goes through..yuk!

OP posts:

stephanieplum · 26/09/2006 21:02

My ds makes his own chocolate cake at home to go in lunch boxes and I have never had a complaint form school. Having said that I would object if homemade cake was not allowed.

flack · 26/09/2006 21:12

Cheese strings aren't that bad. They've been mixed with emulsifying salts to reformulate them into the shape they are. Egg white or yolk (I forget which ) is an emulsifier, too.

My kids would disown me if they didn't have a bag of crisps in their lunchbox. One child in class takes in a bag of crisps plus... a big selection of salad. That's it for his lunchbox. How would he be able to eat the salad and still get enough calories if he didn't have crisps?

nikkie · 26/09/2006 21:19

My kids school aren't allowed sweets/chocolate, but I have sent choc cake before and had no complaints. My kids get one treaty thing a day(crisps , cake,yog raisins, croissant things like that)+ 2-3 fruit or veg , yoghurt+ sandwich so it balances out

Twinkie1 · 26/09/2006 21:21

You could go as far as saying the government have no right to interfere in what kids eat at school at all - but that would put old Jamie out of a job!!!

FluffyCharlotteCorday · 26/09/2006 23:18

flack - would it be very presumptious to suggest that the child could get the 110 calories crisps provide, from a better source than crips? Like bread, rice or pasta, frinstance?

handlemecarefully · 26/09/2006 23:38

What are the constituent ingredients in fruit winders then? - curious because I've never bought them, and so I have never had cause to study the nutritional details on the packet...

I believe we are allowed to send in home baked cakes with packed lunches (although I've never tested this) - which makes me snigger really (some calvinist ethic here that as long as it is cake made through the blood, sweat and toil of the doting parent then it's fine). Otherwise our primary school is similarly strict - and tbh I'm quite pleased about this. Makes my job a little easier when I don't get dd whining "but so and so has a packet of wotsits in her lunch, why can't I?"

Incidentally, where do you stand on marmite sandwiches? DD has marmite sandwiches once per week (on wholemeal bread naturally) since there are limited sandwich fillings that she likes so once I have exhausted chicken, tuna, cheese etc...

I appreciate that marmite is quite salty, but it's pretty much the only salt dd gets exposed to (crisps happen rarely and I don't cook with salt)...but overheard...excuse me...some poncey mum whittering on about marmite sandwiches in lunch boxes the other day.

handlemecarefully · 26/09/2006 23:49

OK I was curious enough to find about fruit winders for myself:

"Expert opinion
Kellogg's Real Fruit Winders do contain real fruit - but this has been processed and supplemented with starch, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil and other ingredients with little nutritional value. The package above boasts that it 'contains over 50% real fruit' but neglects to mention that each fruit winder is 47% pure sugar! If you want your children to eat fruit, give them real fruit.

Kellogg's Real Fruit Winders - What's in 'em?
(Strawberry flavour)
Pear (35%), Strawberry (25%), Glucose Syrup, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Emulsifiers: Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (E471), Citric Acid (E330), Natural Strawberry Flavouring, Elderberry Juice Concentrate, Acidity Regulator: Sodium Citrate (E331), Antioxidan: Ascorbic Acid (E300), Malic Acid (E296).
"

Glad I've never purchased them....

However I am fortunate enough to have children who will eat fruit in it's natural state. I wonder if fruit winders might be justifiable for the odd child who is fruit and vegetable averse???

FluffyCharlotteCorday · 27/09/2006 09:46

Oh FFS. Nothing wrong with marmite. Unless you're giving your kids crisps and ready meals as well, it's hardly going to tip them over the rda limit is it? My kids have it on toast every morning.

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