A Manitoba mother sent her two children to daycare with a packed lunch of leftover roast beef, potatoes, carrots an orange and milk. The daycare declared the lunch unhealthy and supplemented it with Ritz crackers. They sent a note home to the mother telling her the lunch was unbalanced according to the Canadian Food Guide, which requires that children are given a milk product, a meat, a grain and two servings of fruit and vegetables in their lunch. The mother was fined $10.
Parents typically know what is best for their children to eat, and a home-cooked lunch is obviously more wholesome than Ritz crackers and similar processed snack foods. The current guidelines suggest that parents are ignorant about nutrition if they don't follow the rigid requirements, which is untrue. The guidelines say nothing about vegetarian, vegan and lactose-free diets which many families follow for religious and/or health reasons. Forcing kids to eat a one-size-fits-all school lunch deprives them of bonding and social experiences such as eating their mother's home cooking and trading lunch items with their friends.
Unless a parent forgets to pack a lunch or packs a lunch comprised of obvious junk food, the school has no right to fine a parent or regulate what is in the lunch they pack. Please sign the petition to tell Manitoba Daycare that a home-cooked packed lunch is more nutritious than Ritz crackers!
As you know, a mother recently sent her two children to your daycare with a packed lunch of leftover roast beef, potatoes, carrots an orange and milk. The daycare declared the lunch unhealthy and supplemented it with Ritz crackers. They sent a note home to the mother telling her the lunch was unbalanced according to the Canadian Food Guide, which requires that children are given a milk product, a meat, a grain and two servings of fruit and vegetables in their lunch. The mother was fined $10.
Parents typically know what is best for their children to eat, and a home-cooked lunch is obviously more wholesome than Ritz crackers and similar processed snack foods. The current guidelines suggest that parents are ignorant about nutrition if they don't follow the rigid requirements, which is untrue. The guidelines say nothing about vegetarian, vegan and lactose-free diets which many families follow for religious and/or health reasons. Forcing kids to eat a one-size-fits-all school lunch deprives them of bonding and social experiences such as eating their mother's home cooking and trading lunch items with their friends.
Unless a parent forgets to pack a lunch or packs a lunch comprised of obvious junk food, the school has no right to fine a parent or regulate what is in the lunch they pack. We respectfully urge you to abandon the current rigid guidelines, allow parents to pack their children's lunch if they choose, and use common sense to determine whether these meals are wholesome or not. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
