Hi,
There's quite a big issue at the moment about school dinners in the UK. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some information about the type of food they serve in Canada (mainly BC, but any info would be appreciated).
Over here our kids are just served crap, platefulls of unhealthy garbage, mainly chicken nuggets, chips, pizzas, sausages and burgers etc. Is it the same in Canada?
Thanks,
Col

From what we have found out, children don't automatically stay at lunch time.
If you wish them to stay you provide them with a packed lunch (some schools will have special hot meal days), you also have to pay a small fee to cover the lunch time staff (we were quoted $16, per month, nothing to worry about)
Linda

Hi Bleech,

I've heard something similar. Most kids either go home for lunch or have a packed lunch. Need to investigate this myself. So I'll be keeping an eye out. Will let you know if I find anything.

Cheers,

Leila

It was like that when I was a kid. Mainly, you took a lunch, went home or to a friends for lunch (often families take on feeding other people's kids and then rotate - so they're not all stuck making lunches everyday). I only rarely went to a school that had a cafeteria and even then still took a packed lunch - it was an important ritual to sit there with friends swapping half a samich for a mandarin orange, etc. or feeding your entire lunch to the geese .

I miss the school dinners I had as a kid, I used to love them. Cheese and Bacon Whirls, fruit shortbread, gypsy tart, cheese potato pie, quiche Yum Yum!!!!

I dont think they do school dinners round here, just packed lunches.

In Vancouver it's packed lunches or home for lunch every day. Usual restrictions on nuts - they're very big on food allergies here. Once a week at my local school, the PAC (which is the PTA) run a food service for fundraising - hot dog day, pizza day, Subway day ........ not very healthy!
The private schools all offer a catered lunch each day, mostly with a prepaid card system, which is comparable with the canteen at my daughters old UK secondary school - something & chips or some dead salad.

Generally speaking in Vancouver I've found the quality and choice of food in the supermarkets really lacking and it's more expensive than the UK. Prepare yourself for aisles of biscuits and crackers! They don't have the density of population (therefore turnover) to support anything like a Tesco-style supermarket. It's part of the trade-off you make, I suppose.

Our school does not do school dinners - I'm not aware of any local school that does. The children have packed lunches or go home for lunch as others have said. Saying that its $20/child/month here for the child to be at school over lunch and in actual fact it is a big deal around here. This is for historical reasons mainly related to union complaints about volunteers - before the union got involved it was apparently much cheaper and the parents resent the change.

We also have pizza day about three times a year. I can live with that one as pizza can have its place in a balanced diet. The one I have a problem with is the donut recess - it seems totally out of place given the school is pushing a nutrition break. We seem to have about 5 per year. Both these events are paid events.

Mrs G

hello..*S*..my future step kids.....have a hot meal program at their schools..i think it is about $40 at middle school....for a daily menu. It is brought home before the end of the month and you can decide if you want your child to participate. I must say i am impressed. at the schools they have health drinks available and no pop.!
Apparently there is a huge push happening here for healthy school lunches etc. Also the menu is very reasonable.
For the younger one. his school provides a one day a week hot meal program and it cost $3.50 for that day.

Both the kids like healthy foods..salads..and home cooked foods..cookies..muffins and fruits..so they take theirs...now if i can just wean them off the iced tea..that is FULL of sugar..i'll be extremely happy *S*

I used to love gypsy tart. My mum was also a nursery teacher and used to bring home left over pud!.
Found a recipe a few years back, made it all excited, bit into it and it was awful. Oh how your tastes change. it was sickly and sweet.!
We were always given a chunk of apple to eat after the pud as it was made of condensed milk and brown sugar. very very healthy aye?
What about jam roly poly, suet pud and lemon sauce and...........oh happy days. ( yes I grew up overweight but happy)

Yes jam roly poly and that sponge cake with jam and coconut on the top and gingerbread pudding with lemon sauce. Yummy yummy!!!!

Ooooooh I love Gypsy Tart! (licking lips in anticipation at the the taste of a lush cake) I used to be able to buy GT at most places when I lived in Kent. Now I live in Somerset I can't get hold of it anymore Our local Asda sold some Gypsy Tarts once and I bought a load (actually I got a bit sick of them by the end of the week lol). They don't sell them anymore, apparently not very popular with the locals

Back in the ole UK......
My kids are on School Dinners - It it fully processed meat of some unknown type - shaped llike someting remotely interesting. Overcooked veg and chips. The meat is rather disgusting - if I can descibe it properly - you know the really cheap chicken injected with extra water and flavouring? well that but shaped like airplanes or some such thing. Here is the *iss off bit - I pay £ 7 per week per kid. so school dinners cost me £ 56 a month (2 kids) that is a whopping $130.00 per month for a really crap thing!! I tried sending them on packed lunches - but of course my kiddies wanted to be like their friends!!


My mom told me so many lovely tales of school dinners from when she was a kid. Now it is crap!

OK there is my rant. So if I have offended any one, I will get off my soap box now.

Sharmagirl

My daughters school dinners in the UK were horrible too. She was being given all sorts of rubbish that she hadn't had at home, all processed, high fat, high sugar stuff.

I know Jamie Oliver is waging a campaign for better school dinners and you can sign a petition at www.feedmebetter.com
Who knows, he may manage to make a difference

I can see absolutely nothing wrong with Subway. Its a bun - can be healthy whole wheat, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers plus meat. What on earth could anybody see wrong with that? Also pizza. I have heard that pizza is a really healthy meal as well. Of course, you can't have 4 lbs of meat and cheese, but in itself, pizza is not unhealthy.

I think lots of kids are becoming much more aware about healthy food. My granddaughter is 11. She often takes a Greek salad with cucumber, tomatoes, peppers etc. and a bit of crumbled feta cheese and Greek dressing. Or she takes a peanut butter and banana sandwich or ham and mayo. She always takes orange juice - occasionally she takes a pop but not very often.

In the younger grades she couldn't take peanut butter because one of the other girls was allergic to it but at 11 and 12 they don't enforce it any more. Kids of 12 are obviously well aware of their allergies or else they would be dead by now!

[QUOTE=lizwil98]I can see absolutely nothing wrong with Subway. Its a bun - can be healthy whole wheat, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers plus meat. What on earth could anybody see wrong with that? Also pizza. I have heard that pizza is a really healthy meal as well. Of course, you can't have 4 lbs of meat and cheese, but in itself, pizza is not unhealthy.

Subuway, where did they come from? Subway don't do school dinners in the UK Have I missed something?