School Dinners

[Daisy]

There are proposals to ban unhealthy food for school meals - particularly anything deep-fried or with a lot of sugar. What do you think? What would you suggest in stead of the cheap snack-type food that's currently on offer?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c624vezv52do

[Plantaholic]

I will contribute to this item later.

[Gemini]

I saw that on the news yesterday Daisy.

I think it's a good idea. In my grandchildrens experience school dinner dessert is generally a donut or cupcake or similar. Kids love them of course and I'm sure there is a fresh fruit alternative available .
I think something healthier than a donut but less boring than an apple is called for!

[Plantaholic]

When I started working at the village middle school. Every child had a school cooked meal until one child was sent with a packed lunch and that opened the flood gates. The school kitchen then went over to cafeteria type meals. As I was jack-of-all-trades I was asked to be cashier. These meals were quite popular but eventually every child opted for a packed lunch from home. So School meals were no more.

[Daisy]

Plant, I'm sure having cafeteria type meals might sound good, and give children choice, but I bet we all had no options. It was the meal of the day with no choice except not to have gravy or custard. I remember having a conversation with one of my DSs along the lines that a plate of chips isn't a balanced meal. When I asked that evening what he had he said a jacket potato - with chips!!!

Gem, it's hard to sell the idea of an apple if there are doughnuts on offer. I also wonder if those airline type divided plastic plates help. I doesn't look like a normal meal.

I would like to see a recognisable dish - shepherds pie with vegetables, spag bol, curry, some kind of hot pot, fish, chips and peas, etc. I think it would help to teach children about food choices, and perhaps have the same or similar meals to make themselves in cookery lessons. Schools that are lucky enough to have gardening on their timetable could grow veggies for the kitchen. I think some schools already do this. I suppose what I've got at the back of my mind is a well-balanced diet served on a plate and given a name, and eaten and enjoyed with their friends. There are a lot of children who hardly ever sit down at a table, together with their families for a proper meal.