Packed lunches and the "food police"

thriftmonster · 1 March 2006 at 10:30AM

Any suggestions welcome on this one......

Ds1 and 2 are off to school with their OS packed lunches today including HM lamb pies with potato pastry (result of shepherds pie on Mon)

However since Sept they have had school dinners (@£1.90 each) not from my choice or theirs (they're not filling enough although reasonably healthy) but because quite a lot of the kids in the school operate a "food police" and if you don't have ham sandwich on white bread, branded chocolate biscuit and branded crisps and drink then the stick you get is unbelievable.

I have spoken to the school in the past as have other parents and they have tried to discuss it in assembly etc but it makes no difference. To be honest I think a lot of it comes fr4om the parents - one mother at last sports day said to me "oh your son is the one with the funny food that should be hot" - apparently this referred to chicken drumsticks etc.

So far I have bought 4 fruit shoot drinks and have refilled them with value squash today so that the bottles look ok but any other ideas would be welcome.....

PS Getting ds1 to tell them to get a life or equivalent would probably just get him into trouble - have tried this one in the past

Katgoddess · 1 March 2006 at 10:42AM

Well if I was your son I'd say, "your mummy doesn't love you enough to give you proper healthy food". But that's just me.

I was the kid at school with "weird" food. Pate in sandwiches, black bananas, reduced drinks. Lunch in reused boxes from the deli and bread bags.

You could rewrap value food in clingfilm or cheap sandwich bags so there are no labels?

Mrsbojangles_2 · 1 March 2006 at 10:42AM

Aww what a shame, my two are 10 & 7 (almost) and I find PL a problem since the school brought in a crisp and chocolate/cake/sweet ban which is all part of the healthy living education programme, what annoys me is that the children are school dinners have cake and ice cream for afters and whilst there are healthy choices on the menu, chips are still also availlable. (grr)

I make them ham, cheese or marmite sarnie (my youngest doesn't like meat) I buy little yoghurts from Aldi as they aren't as obvious as the *value* brands in terms of packaging, but are priced the same, I give them cheese & crackers (to replace crisps) a mini choc bar, piece of fruit and juice in a sports bottle. I won't allow them fruit shoots, unless its a special occasion there is sooo much sugar in them. Another thing to be careful of is refilling plastic bottles, I read somewhere that after a while, refilling them can lead to them releasing toxic chemicals, theres some info on it on the net.

I really hope you get some ideas off others, its a real shame that children are not only *expected* to fit in with the designer clothes/holidays/mobile culture, but now their lunchboxes are open to critisism. I wouldn't mind but I bet your son has a healthier diet and lifestyle than the rest of them, I would have a word again with the head and ask him/her to maybe implement a healthy lunchbox guide??

Good luck xx

ohdear_4 · 1 March 2006 at 10:44AM

Whoops, pressed thanks my mistake!!

It is how society is today isn't it, it is so sad that it is like this. I can remember the stick I got for having free school dinners as I was the only one in my class who had them.

I don't know whether 'pretending' to have the 'cool' food is the right way to go, or whether you should give the kids what you/they like. Do your kids ever have party days where you all send in food? What about sending in home made cakes, biscuits, crisps just so the other kids can try how nice your food is? Or invite some round for tea and feed them 'cool' food home made stylie?

What about sending sliced pizza to school? pasta? rice salad etc. Filling and not uncool.

thriftlady_2 · 1 March 2006 at 10:51AM

This is a tricky problem Thriftmonster.My ds1 has had similar problems but has fortunately had success with the 'get a life' routine.Apparently one girl told him his cheese sandwiches were 'gay'

Ds treated her with the contempt she deserved

He has been fortunate in that the 'real food' lunch packers at our school are not so much a minority,there's always someone with hm pizza or a chicken drumstick.

I am regarded as some kind of superwoman/domestic goddess because I make my own bread,muffins etc.I always make excuses,saying 'oh well I have to because of dd's allergies' or 'well,I've got nothing better to do with my days'.I don't know why I don't just say 'yeah,I make better bread than any bought stuff and I'm proud of it.I put my children's health first and I know better than anyone else how to feed them a good diet'.

Sorry, not much help for you,but I know what you mean.Btw those lamb pies sound gorgeous.

Strepsy · 1 March 2006 at 10:52AM

Aww I really feel for you though don't think I have any useful suggestions. We had this for a year with my older two - they used to get called 'cheeso' by a small group of boys at lunch time because they had cheese sandwiches too often or something?! To be honest they didn't even have cheese that often but I guess the kids liked the reaction they got when they called it them.

I spoke to a teacher a couple of times about it and though they reprimanded the boys involved it was more of a keeping-up-appearances than a true concern for what was happening. It didn't help and probably only drew more attention to my two girls which didn't help at all. Keeping in mind that these were year 6 boys and my girls were one in year 1 and one in reception I felt it was very badly handled.

We actually moved house so left the school and they have had no problem at all in their current school. I really think it's the school attitude as much as anything else. All you can do is be bold and unapologetic about your food choices for them. Instead of them being on the defensive about what they have with their lunch maybe better to be more assertive about it. They should be asking why the other children's mums never make them anything special.

I sometimes surprise my kids with a little note or a little chocolate etc. in their lunch or I print off a few jokes for the older two. They always come out beaming at the end of school and say thank you. Might be worth a try just to help lunch time feel more positive.

moggins · 1 March 2006 at 11:20AM

We're quite lucky here as the school actively encourages healthy eating and all the kids are given a piece of fruit every day anyway.

I work on a compromise, they get a healthy sandwich and a piece of fruit along with a commercial chocolate bar (kitkat etc) and a homemade muffin but I make mine in cake cases so they look pretty much like bought ones.

chardonnay_2 · 1 March 2006 at 11:26AM

perhaps you & your kids retort should be "oh, your the ones with the boring lunches". at least your kids are happy & enjoying their food. sad that this is the kids being the food police - i expected this to be about the school.

thriftlady_2 · 1 March 2006 at 11:34AM

chardonnay wrote:

i expected this to be about the school.

Me too,seems a lot of schools are getting picky about what children bring in their lunch boxes whilst not providing a healthy hot meal themselves.I'm all for giving my kids a healthy hm lunch,but I'm uncomfortable with the idea that schools are starting to dictate what goes in them.It should be the parents' responsibility.

moggins · 1 March 2006 at 11:39AM

thriftlady wrote:

Me too,seems a lot of schools are getting picky about what children bring in their lunch boxes whilst not providing a healthy hot meal themselves.I'm all for giving my kids a healthy hm lunch,but I'm uncomfortable with the idea that schools are starting to dictate what goes in them.It should be the parents' responsibility.

At one time I would have agreed with you but now I can see the reasoning behind it. I've heard what a lot of children are sent in with and to be honest it's a lot of sugar and processed foods, this puts the children on a sugar high and makes some of them completely uncontrollable, the poor teacher is then faced with trying to keep control rather than teach.

I think we just have to remember that not all parents are like us old stylers and some are quite happy to feed their kids all the e-numbers and additives on the face of the planet.

battybird_2 · 1 March 2006 at 11:39AM

isnt this bullying if my d [aged 8] came home and said that someone was teasing her about her lunch i would jump down the throat of the first teacher i saw. our lunch box is free from all crisps,chocs,squash and white bread
if i were you speak too the school again

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Packed lunches and the "food police"

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