School Dinners, are they really that bad ?

Question

I have been hearing recently about the mothers on the news serving chips to schildren at the school and that the new dinners are not all that they are cracked up to be. I study in sixth form and we have a bistro of our own. Since the new regulations have come in we now actually have home made pizza, fresh pasta, salad etc. The junk fod vending machine has been replaced with a new drinks machine which can hold up to 800 drinks and people quite like the new menu. Now I know I am only in sixth form but I wish people would stop complaining about the new regulations. Also I don't see why catering is going to differ that much between schools. Are they really that bad, does anyonw see my point of view ?

no, the new dinners are actually cooked on site and they are really nice. Okay so the pizza base is not made from scratch but they add like the base ingredients from scratch.

I wonder the legality over those parents dishing out that junk food. Also rentokil used to be my primary school catering service, when my mum found out the headmaster asked her not to tell the other parents. Yeah I have wondered if they dump their rats etc in the food lol ;)

Answer 1

They are, when theres an outbreak of e coli (which killed a 5yr old boy and affected over 150 others) in Wales that can be traced back to filthy cheap undercooked poorly stored meat bought by the education board for minimal cost. They spend on average 35p per child, compared to 50p per prisoner in jail.

I also heard that Rentokill is one of the biggest frozen dinners suppliers to schools throughout the uk. Maybe I'm cynical, but is this one way they dispose of the vermin they slaughter?

I have sent my daughter in with a packed lunch since.

Answer 2

they're appalling at my daughter's school considering the prices per week which is why I send her with a healthy packed lunch every day so that I know what she gets to eat.
The last time she ever had a meal in school, she was offered half an apple for dessert. A far cry from my days in school when seconds were on offer every day and very often thirds if anyone could manage it. Food was not saved for the next day, and reheated, everything was made fresh on school premises, I know, because my Nan was a school cook for a time.
The 'cook' at my childrens school was feted as some sort of hero in the area because she was responsible for securing the contract with a respectable catering firm for three years in a row, owing to the fact she could serve meals within the budget. What no-one took into account was that the only reason she stayed within budget and so appeared to be doing a good job, was because the children were not given a good meal. In fact if anything, she short changed the parents and the children.
I had a friend who worked as a 'dinner lady' and she left after she saw teachers meals being put to one side, plates packed to capacity, while four and five year olds had a teaspoon of peas, a fish finger and half an apple. Shocking.

Answer 3

The new dinners are fine. There is nothing wrong with them and for a change someone is actually doing something to improve the value and nutrition of school meals. What we are finding with the 'Junk Food Mums' is the power of whinging kids. Parents who are so used to indulging their spoiled little darlings that they are prepared to stuff them full of crap just because their children are whining that they can't have what they want. This is the problem in the classroom too. If I had a choice when I was a kid between mince and potatoes or a bar of chocolate, I would have picked the chocolate everytime. Would that have been good for me? Of course not. Children need to be taught about healthy eating just as they need to be taught about most things. Sometimes kicking and screaming to the dinner table.

Answer 4

Well I work in a secondary school kitchen and we have had the healthy option way before Jamie Oliver made his programme. We have a freshly cooked main meal, plus vegetarian option, plus dessert every day. In addition we prepare sandwiches, baguettes, pasta dishes, fresh fruit salads, wraps, and paninis fresh every day. We have not had fizzy drinks or sweets either for a considerable time, neither do we sell crisps. The trouble is that since Jamie Oliver made his programme everyone thinks that every school kitchen is the same as the one in the show. I would love him to come to our kitchen and show him the other side of the coin.

Answer 5

I think the new menus on offer seem very good, although they vary across the board. I wouldn't give my son anything which I thought would completely defeat the object so I stick to it. I can't speak for every parent but If I gave my son all the crap that some parents allow their kids to eat, he wouldnt be succeeding quite so well at school..

I think personally diet has a big part to play in a childs education. If you had children you may well see it differently.

Answer 6

i dont think they are bad-they are a whole lot nicer than when i was a PUPIL
now im a teacher we have a soup and pasta bar, a salad and jacket potato bar , a sandwich bar and the usual hot dinners. yesterday the hot meal was a choice of curry and rice- fish in a sauce , meat pie and cheese flan served with either mash, bolied spuds and 2 kinds of vege- with either fruit cake and custard or cheese and biscuits for afters-we are only allowed chips twice a week max and all our vending machines have gone-so i think school dinners are great for the price

Answer 7

My son is now in primary 2 and i have to say that i wish i could cook half the meals that they provide at his school, they sent back a menu of all the meals to be served during this term and WOW im jealous. No way were school meals that appetising or interesting when i was at school.

Answer 8

i would say that the school was probly half hearted about it the moneys prob nowhere near right and the people cooking the food prob havent got a clue i think jamies idea was brilliant,the people that were annoyed about the food and ended up giving food through the bloody fence wanna have a loook at them selfs if there not happy they should give there kids pack lunches or brung it up with the school ,what a load of old attention seeking old chavs wives!!!

Answer 9

the lunches we got at school were prepared there, that day. nothing pre-packaged or microwaved.
We had fresh hot rolls they made daily, things like homemade vegetable beef soup, spaghetti & meatballs, salsbury steak, desserts.
I have been to school & eaten lunch with my children & I'm appalled at what they get served. Why do they hire so many folks to work in the cafeteria? because nothing is "cooked" anymore. It's all junk food.
I miss the good old days!! lol

Answer 10

Our school lunches are the same.....still rubber meat, and soggy french fries. They've added stuff now though, like snack lines (bosco sticks which are cheese sticks mainly, nachos and cheese, and then a ton of junk food which includes rice crispies, chips, candy bars....). Our cafeteria food is horrible for you. I usually bring something small to school and keep it in my bag and eat it during the lunch period instead of whatever they give us that day.....(or else I go to my aunts office (she's a counselor) because she always has something nice to eat).