Do your children have school dinners ?

Question

do you think school dinners are good value money wise and nutritional ?

Answer 1

Depends on the school my sons school has a healthy eating award but i think the school dinners are overpriced and you never know if they eat them. I send my son to school with a packed lunch and the stuff all gets put back in his lunch box so you know what has been eaten. Those that have the dinners say they are ok, our school has a tree week menu

Answer 2

My daughter used to have school dinners when she was at infant school. A lot of the children turn their noses up at school dinners, but I've never allowed her to be fussy with food, I can't stand that. However, she's now in year 4 at primary and has taken a packed lunch for the last year. Although she isn't a huge eater (about average) she was finding the sizes of the meals too small and also found that if she was at the back of the queue (as she often was) they would run out of food and instead of a full meal, say potatoes sausages and beans, she'd end up with potato and beans only. This is infuriating when you find out that your child's needs have been neglected through negligence and bad management and your money wasted.

Answer 3

This is a good question and I'm glad others are asking it. I'm seriously frustrated by schools on this subject. I worked in school lunch kitchens over the years and in the ones I worked they did try to provide some healthy choices but today in my grandchild's school, one I did work at now under different administration, they are being fed almost purely a sugar diet. They claim the children throw the good food away and will only eat the junk foods. I feel at school and at home children are given too many choices in food. when you limit the choices to a well rounded meal of meat, vegetables, starch and take away all the junk food extras children learn to eat better. then as adults they are already in better habits. The problem is we as adults do not know what good eating habits are.

Answer 4

I currently live in the Netherlands and my daughter is enrolled in a local elementary school. The schools here (at least primary grades) don't even have a kitchen at all. Each child is picked up daily for an hour lunch at home and then taken back to school. If you choose to leave your child at school then a lunch must be packed.

On the days my daughter stays at school during lunch, I give her a roasted chicken sandwich on wheat bread, a box of whole milk, and a cup of applesauce or peaches. It's definitely more of a typical American lunch than a typical Dutch lunch, but nonetheless I deem it acceptable and nutritionally appropriate!

Answer 5

Unfortunately I am only able to treat my daughter once a week to school dinners as they cost 1.50. She loves them I don't think they are very nutritious but I ensure that what she eats with me is. The thing that annoys me is as she is now in year 5 so one the the last to have her lunch they very often run out of dinners and she ends up having just veggies and potato.

Answer 6

Well, my children are grown now, but when they went to school, I'd always insist on a packed lunch three times a week as a compromise....'cos the school dinners weren't up to scratch. I've also worked in a school in recent years and I don't see a lot of change.

Answer 7

I am a primary school cook and would certainly recomend school dinners, in my schoool the dinners are healthy and nutritious and I go to graet pains to make sure each child is treated as an individual and sort any problem out as it arises. We have regular parents taster sessions and any good school should encourage parents to investigate school dinners and ask any quiestions.

Answer 8

My 6yo has school dinners.
They have a choice between baguette (tuna/cheese), jacket potato or cooked dinner which is generally healthy. Chips are on the menu about once a week and puddings are often fruit and yogurt. The cost is £1-50 per day and I think, worth it.

Answer 9

my lil girl is n the 3rd grade, shes been taking her lunch since the last part of pre k. for breakfast alot of time the school has cheese toast,breakfast pizza or cereal but my lil girl doent eat cheese and the pizza was tough on her stomach at breakfast time,would mine 2! so she wasnt eating breakfast! well then noticed she was a picky eater 4 lunch, so the squash wasnt going over very well! they put cheese on alot so we knew she had 2 take her lunch2 lunch! so we get her a biscuit n the morning and she takes her lunch! its more about them getting 2 eat what they like rather than nutritional! scool lunches can b horrible!

Answer 10

What would you give your kids in a packed lunch? If it's full of rubbish then stopping them having school dinners won't make their diet any better. School dinners aren't that bad now.