Another Food Blog to follow: Miso's opposite

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neverseconds.blogspot.co.uk/


A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl who blogged photographs of her meagre school lunches has become an internet sensation. Her website has been viewed by tens of thousands and the pictures branded “shocking” by the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The smallest of the meals photographed last week by Martha Payne, from Lochgilphead in Argyllshire, consisted of a small rectangle of pizza, one potato croquette and 31 grains of sweetcorn. Pudding was a small cake.

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The food looks pitiful, but at least they have real silverware!

We had plastic spoon/fork combos that made it impossible to eat most things.

[UMaineTeach]

I have found with our schools lunches that it is feast or famine.

Either there is so much food the kids have no chance of finishing in the 20 minutes they get, or they are all done 10 minutes early and get restless.

[karinothing]

So, I know those meals are small (and well look gross), but I think it is probably enough food for a kid right? I feel like we are so used to eating a ton of food and each of those meals is probably 300+ calories which should be enough for lunch no?

[frlcb]

May 13, 2012 15:45:07 GMT -5 karinothing said:

So, I know those meals are small (and well look gross), but I think it is probably enough food for a kid right? I feel like we are so used to eating a ton of food and each of those meals is probably 300+ calories which should be enough for lunch no?

I would assume kids need more than 900 calories a day? And if you add in snacks that would still probably be like 1200, I think they need more than that. A quick look online showed an average 12 year old boy needs 2000-2200 and an average 12 year old girl needs 1800-2000

But that food doesn't look good anyway

[ijack]

I love how she writes notes to herself on her hands!

[BNL2]

Sometimes I'm in a rush and have no time to pack my lunch so I'm subjected to school lunch. Overall the food is gross, but with the included salad bar, it's filling enough. I see so many kids bring sack lunches made-up of a lunchable and a capri-sun. I think the the school lunch shown in the blog is more food than that, and I know the lunches in my district are heartier than a lunchable.

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May 13, 2012 15:38:35 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I have found with our schools lunches that it is feast or famine.

Either there is so much food the kids have no chance of finishing in the 20 minutes they get, or they are all done 10 minutes early and get restless.

Are you in a public or private school? If you're in public, schools have to offer the same amount of food every day. Maybe it is just that some days they offer foods that are more popular with the kids?

[hannamarin]

She said she was hungry after some of the lunches and so far she doesnt seem like a complainer
Do you think she is a real little girl? Or a teacher/parent/dirty old man posing as a kid?

[UMaineTeach]

May 13, 2012 16:56:53 GMT -5 cuadrado said:

May 13, 2012 15:38:35 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I have found with our schools lunches that it is feast or famine.

Either there is so much food the kids have no chance of finishing in the 20 minutes they get, or they are all done 10 minutes early and get restless.

Are you in a public or private school? If you're in public, schools have to offer the same amount of food every day. Maybe it is just that some days they offer foods that are more popular with the kids?

public. they have minimum standard, and I'm sure it is all well calculated (I know a little from doing meals at daycare that were on the government dime) but not all meals look the same and some meals include extras of some categories, that I suspect, when extra food is used we can't claim reimbursement for it.

[mccallister84]

I think the other thing to remember is that for a number of kids the school breakfast or lunch us the only reliable food they will get that day. It's a huge problem over summer break as well.

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May 13, 2012 21:24:18 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

May 13, 2012 16:56:53 GMT -5 cuadrado said:

Are you in a public or private school? If you're in public, schools have to offer the same amount of food every day. Maybe it is just that some days they offer foods that are more popular with the kids?

public. they have minimum standard, and I'm sure it is all well calculated (I know a little from doing meals at daycare that were on the government dime) but not all meals look the same and some meals include extras of some categories, that I suspect, when extra food is used we can't claim reimbursement for it.

The program gets reimbursed for a complete meal, so as long as they meet the minimum requirements then they claim reimbursement. The USDA also offers bonus items or things may not go well with students, so the kitchens have extra inventory they need to get rid of. That could be an explanation.