Banning Packed Lunches

[SameDifference]

My thoughts... samedifference1.com/2013/07/12/head-teachers-being-urged-to-ban-packed-lunches/

[DorisIsWaiting]

There are several threads running already about this and I believe the bottom line is money. If schools can get more children to eat school dinners profit margins will improve for the companies providing them .

I can not afford for my children to have school dinners (despite the fact they are not healthy for my children (high fat diet and dairy free soya free diets).

[HeySoulSister]

Mine have fsm anyway.... For now as I'm hoping to be in work again soon

I look at some packed lunch items and wonder how anyone can think they are healthy. All food aimed at kids is rubbish. So much sugar in everything!

[Tanith]

I am a childminder and I have noticed a big difference in the appetites of the after school children depending on whether they have school dinners or not.

Surprisingly, it's the school dinner children who are ravenous when they get in. We provide a cooked meal in the evening and the school meal children invariably demand a full second helping.
This is in addition to free access to fruit and snacks on request (usually granted). One girl ate a whole punnet of peaches the other day!

Packed lunch children will help themselves to fruit but are much more restrained.

[JustinBsMum]

That's strange Tanith - are the school dinners children missing breakfast perhaps?

[zoraqueenofzeep]

I wouldn't eat the sludge that passes for school meals and I'd hate for my kid to be forced to eat that badly every day, let alone pay for it!!! It's a ridiculous idea, potentially hazardous to the long term health of the healthy children and downright dangerous for those with food allergies, intolerances, fussy eaters or those on restricted diets. They won't be properly provided for, many kids won't eat anything, some will have bad reactions to the crap food provided.

[Tanith]

I don't know, Justinsmum: the children who have breakfast with me aren't the same children as the after school ones.
I suppose it could be an explanation, but I'm doubtful that all of them miss out on breakfast.

DD goes to school next term and they sent us the brochure from the catering firm. I wasn't impressed and DD will be taking a packed lunch. However, the meals seemed to be mostly child-friendly ones, although too much emphasis on processed stuff.

[Roma2013]

Their stomachs have got used to expecting more I guess. Or the school meals give a high sugar hit which causes a glycaemic drop and needs pulling back up again (most kids on school meals will be offered pudding)

[Solopower1]

But if the school dinners were cooked on the premises, healthy and cheap, more people would choose them anyway.

[jellycat]

At the school my dc attend (primary), school dinner portions are v small.

ds1 likes the dinners but it always hungrier after school when he has them. ds2 wouldn't eat anything if I put him in for school dinners so I don't waste my money. I would be furious if they ever banned packed lunches. Can't see it ever happening though.

[Solopower1]

A big problem at my child's primary school was that they only allowed the children 15 - 20 minutes to eat their lunch before they started hustling them out.