School food

[Hallloumi]

My DD just started school. I'm a bit shocked by the food. They get fruit and milk at morning break which is fine. Dinner they get a choice of hot dinner or sandwich. The hot dinner is on a 3 week rotation (although Fridays are always fish and chips) and every dinner includes a pudding. The published info says fruit and vegetables are available every day. They get the whole meal together- main course and pudding. What I'm bothered about is that my DD is often choosing the sandwich and says they can't have vegetables with this. She also says she has ice cream every day (this in not on the menu). So often her dinner is ham sandwich and ice cream. I would prefer if they had no choice of opting out of the hot food (or ideally had a choice of 2 hot meals, 1 vegetarian) and that the only pudding was fruit or plain yoghurt (but I accept that is probably unrealistic). I'm actually quite shocked given all the child obesity stats and dental problems that they are giving daily puddings and ice creams. Is this normal?

Portions of pudding at my school are a child mouthful size. Not a big bowl of stuff. So the sticky date pudding last week was a dessert spoon size portion if you piled it on! It’s also mainly made with fake sugar (fruit!), which of course is just as bad as white sugar, and equally as bad as a carrot!

Tbh I am wondering if you are in my borough in the midlands. The only issue with no allowing to opt out is that there is one week my son cannot eat any option but sandwiches for three days due to sensory issues or there will be other kids like him.
Some days my son has a sandwich with hot veg and then fruit for pudding. In his school veg is always offered though.

I can well believe ice cream every day as pudding. Some schools have that as a permanent choice (usually alongside fruit yogurt and fresh fruit) in case the children don't like the cake option.

Some school dinners are lovely, but it really depends on the staff making them and the ingredients/menus/county you are in. I supply teach across several cities and counties, and of course academies can do their own thing too. There's a wide variety of standards. Personally I wouldn't be happy with my child eating school dinners in most of the schools I have taught in. Apparently the food is meant to be healthy, but it's really not in many schools.

SoyDora my son funny enough doesn't like anything sweet so school desserts (or any desserts for that matter) are not an issue for us, but I do think it's setting a bad example generally. There is absolutely no need for this at every meal for such young children.

Labradoodlie there's too much high fibre at my DC's school. DS2's digestive system can't handle it and he has permanent runs. It's often a choice of high fibre or high fibre, followed by a high fibre pudding. I've ended up giving him no fruit and only white bread at home. His stomach's definitely better at weekends and in the holidays.