school food rules

That's the peanut rule coming in.....if you read the ingredients of all those things,they may be made around peanuts and peanuts are a big no no in the schools

This seems like it's pretty difficult to follow. Did the school provide any suggestions besides fresh fruit and veggies, bread, and cold cut meats? Is she allowed to bring, for example, soup or noodles or rice to heat up? (One school I worked at had a microwave. A parent would come in and the kids would give the lunch parent their container, the lunch parent would heat these up so that it was warm when the kids came back for them at lunch time). What about homemade pizza or things like that? I mean, pizza dough is like bread, and tomato sauce is made from a fruit, and ham is a cold cut... My mom used to make me rice balls. Little balls of rice with bits of cold cut or cucumber in the middle. (Sort of like sushi for people who don't like sushi rice). What about yoghurt? This sounds really difficult. I hope your daughter likes fruits and veggies.

I think sometimes schools get over involved in trying to help our kids stay healthy. My son's pre-school has a list of acceptable foods, snacks and drinks. Every one has to bring their lunch (church run school-no lunchroom facilities) They do not allow any type of food that has to be eaten with a spoon, as it allows for too much mess. No bottled drinks of any kind. Only juice boxes, juice bags or milk cartons, but nothing that must be kept cold. Ever try shelf stable milk? I cannot stomach it and my kid hates it. Only fresh fruit. No fruit roll ups, fruit snacks or dried fruit. No nuts of any kind. All sandwiches MUST be cut into 4 or more pieces. Accepted sandwiches are cheese, cream cheese, bologna, turkey or ham. NO peanut butter allowed. No cookies, chips, snack cakes, or candy. Pretzels are allowed as a chip substitute. NO 100 calorie snacks allowed either. (cookie crisps, chips, mini cupcakes). For parties or birthdays, we are allowed to bring 1 cookie per child. The room mothers assign who will bring the cookies. The other moms are to bring popcorn (unsalted and unbuttered), fresh fruit, cheese cubes, bottled water or juice boxes. Oh, and they actually asked that the juices either be No Sugar Added or 100% juice. Because giving our kids Splenda or 35g of sugar per serving is a much better choice. Last year, if we sent "forbidden" food, it was returned to us with a note telling us that our child was fed by the church for which we owed $2 and that a meeting with the teacher was scheduled for (enter date and time). Then the teacher would give you a long speech on healthy eating and weight control. It is stupid.

Is this for school school or the things you guys have before you enter first grade? It's amazing isn't it? The way other people think it's ok to tell you what you are allowed & not allowed to feed your own children. I think what they're doing is a little over the top & what a child eats should be up to the parent, it's really the parent's responsibility that a child eats healthy but i cant see how an occasional cookie or cup of chocolate milk is going to hurt. It's a good thing they don't do anything like that here in Oz, or i'd consider home schooling, only because if i'd like my daughter to be able to have a cookie after her lunch then i think i am the only one who has the right to make that decision!

My daughter's school says almost the same thing. They don't go to the extreme that your does. Thank goodness, or my daughter would come home hungry everyday.

Hi poppoppop111, I don't know what their idea of healthy is, but cold cut meats will kill you sooner than eating raisins.. None of my kids liked cold cuts either, they took peanut butter sandwich's and was fortunate to hit the middle school when they got sick of them, because in the middle school, they had more choices of what to eat. I didn't see the discussion on allowing healthy snacks, but if my child's school even considered it, I would say, Ok, I have studied what is good and bad for you for years, you want the list? (I may not follow the healthy diet, but I have the information)

Crazy authorities at school. I do not understand what is wrong with creackers, raisins, cheese, creal bars and cookies. FRuits and veggies alone will make children cows and not humans. I understand if fruits and veggies are mandatory as part of diet. IN my opinion school should never say what not to bring. Children at a youn age should eat what they like. ONLY THE QUANTITY CAN BE RESTRICTED IF REQUIRED. Tell as a parent what you think in the PTA meeting of school.

Another reason to be glad I homeschool......being dictated what I can and cannot pack in my child's lunch. That is ridiculous. I'm sorry but I truly think that parents have the right to choose what they pack in thier own child's lunch from home. I can see limiting what is offered by the school but to then tell parents that the school knows better than they do and that the school is going to limit what they offer as well that is ridiculous.

Well that’s definitely taking it a bit too much. As it is children seldom like to eat their veggies and fresh fruits and sandwiches for lunch everyday is just yuck! It gets soggy and once the freshness is gone, it doesn’t taste good at all. And then for sandwich you either have to use butter, cheese, sandwich spread or mayonnaise, none of which are healthy enough for regular consumption. You wouldn’t use low fat cheese, or table margarine or diet mayo for a child, would you? So a granola bar is I believe more healthy if taken once in a while. Chips and chocolates are understandable but cookies too! What is a child supposed to eat! Very soon they would just be chucking those veggies out once the teacher turns her back and would rather go hungry.

my daughter just started preschool this week and they encourage healthy snacks also. but i think your daughters school is going overboard. my daughters birthday is coming up and she is allowed to bring cupcakes. i can't imagine why or how raisins is bad for them.

wow, our school has a peanut free rule (it is enforced but people still bring peanut butter/related items) and i have heard of a milk product free school (no cheese, no yogurt etc) but fortunately our school is not like that. i would ask the teacher/principal for a list that you can bring!

That would be a tough rule for the students. Is there any PTA (PArent-Teacher Association) in your school so you could tackle issues like that? i guess that it is important that the school should consult teh parents of the students regarding the new rules and changes in the school. Anyway, its for the benefit of the students. Good luck to your daughter... :)

Why are they being so strict about it? That seems a little crazy! I know my daughter's school says anything but peanut and peanut products. That is sooooo crazy!

that's absurd school dictating to parents what the children can eat. where is democracy?????write to the school board about this, anyway you look at it, it's not right; they might mean well but their implementation is out of this world.

My daughter would starve, I don't think its the schools place to decide what my child should take to school for lunch. That is my role, no nuts that makes sense but beyond that none of their business. I would be in a constant battle with the school for sure.

wow, talk about a drastic change! If our school system does that there will be a lot of unhappy parents. The children's diets in this area are terrible. The children eat so much 'junk food' and if not junk food then the meals that are laden with fat and nitrates. I agree that we need to do something about childhood obesity, but no child (or adult) is going to eat just vegetables/fruit at every meal!!

gotta love this. i am having the same problem. i haven't gottin a list of what they can and can not take so i buy things and then my son comes home and says he can't take that any more. pretzels seem to be ok for him to take and he likes crutons and they haven't said anything about that. i even got these little fruit things with apples and carmel like they have at mcdonalds and he was told not to bring them any more. my son don't like sandwiches either so theres not alot out there that they will let him bring. i feel if they are going to be that picky they should supply their snack.

I can see the chips and such but raisins??? Those are fruit. And cereal bars/granola bars? Wow, talk about restrictive. I hope you've come up with something to keep your daughter happy. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

i guess they meant well. but even that can be too much. like what they say about the road to hell. paved with good intentions haha. i guess no deep fried food is as far as i will go. i suppose you can pack something for her to bring to school? that would solve the problem? how can they control what you give her to bring to school right?

Wow, that school has really stupid rules about food... Do they explain why they're banned? There should be no reason to ban most of the foods you mentioned. Some like chocolate milk are nutritious, only an idiot would ban people from drinking it in school.