Pick up your jaw now. This really happened. A mom in Canada was fined $10 for not including a grain-based food in her kids' sack lunches. Their “unbalanced” lunch (according to the Canadian Food Guide) did include: homemade roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, an orange, and milk.
Luckily the school supplemented the two boys' grain-lacking lunch with some “nutritious” Ritz crackers. Whew! Those poor kids nearly ate an unprocessed, totally real food lunch!
The mom said had she sent along lunches consisting of, “microwave Kraft Dinner and a hot dog, a package of fruit twists, a Cheesestring, and a juice box” those lunches would have sailed right through this idiocy. But her whole food, homemade lunches? They lacked Ritz Crackers.
Read the entire article here. This was just too shocking to wait until next Monday's Mix-up post. It's sad to know that the Canadian government is as screwed up as ours here in America.
What would you do, as a parent?
Read more I found out about this later from my FB page.
Tasha says
That almost made my hair stand on end! I’m from Canada, but thankfully I have never seen or heard of anything like this with my kids daycare or school. However, my daughter came home with a note one day saying she was still hungry after eating one day so they sent her to the servery and they gave her a cheese string and Ritz crackers. I was upset by this and sent a note back to the teacher saying I would pack more food because I avoid processed junk food as much as possible and she “assured” me and told me not to worry, that they only give the kids healthy snacks! Um….?!? Honey, we are on SUCH different pages of what IS healthy! Needless to say, I pack LOT’S now. lol
KitchenKop says
UPDATE – Read more about this that I found out later:
https://www.facebook.com/KellytheKitchenKop/posts/10151766335821262
Lash says
This story was from my province. The government here actually does not allow charging for food. They called the daycare apparently and they changed their policy (which was from 1986) and she was not charged. It sure brought light to this issue! Love your site!
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Province-tells-daycare-to-stop-charging-for-additional-food-232594451.html
Heather says
I think I would protest the charge because no way would Ritz crackers cost 10 bucks, even if they ate the whole box. That’s a nuisance charge and I would fight it tooth and nail. Also, the “grains” requirement is a carb/starch requirement, which potatoes clearly are — yet another basis for argument. That mom provided a lovely, balanced meal. I think it’s likely (if their cafeteria workers are anything like ours) that the worker involved didn’t actually understand how the food groups are applied here. A lot of our cafeteria workers are actually bus drivers — that was their primary job and they were forced to double up with cafeteria work or lose their contracts. They neither know, nor care much, about the ins and outs of food groups, etc.
Ridiculous. And scary.
Oregon Chris says
I can’t believe this was in Canada. I thought the US was the country ruled by corporations. I suppose it makes sense that that isn’t the case with Corps being with out borders they have successfully “taken over the world” with their policies. They are fueled with far more money then the common person can muster up so we become subject to their “rule”. You may think this is extreme, but look at Monsanto and all the other huge corps, they literally own governments, hence control them.
Toni Howell says
My question would be: do the children have to EAT everything packed? A simple matter to pack Ritz crackers and instruct your child not to eat them. You could use the same pack every day. Not that that changes anything governmentally, but before change happens in the big sphere your kids would be protected, and the center would also. Best of all is homeschooling. We homeschooled for 30 years and avoided a lot of confrontation on many fronts.
Heidi says
Hard to believe, but also not really hard at all. The government wants to control everything. Fortunately, I home school my children. I would get fussed at for the amount of butter we use.
Oregon Chris says
I think its government ruled by corporation…that wants to rule everything…
Jacqui says
Oh, I just re read this. If they don’t supplement the lunches, they lose their license. This is not the centers fault it’s much bigger than that, they themselves would think it’s ludicrous I’m sure… Homeschool, is there any other option now??
Jill says
It is much bigger than the school. I suppose if there is anything that can be done (besides removing your child from the public school system to protect your own family) it would have to be on a totally different level. Arranging meetings with representatives (whatever they are called in Canada), writing letters, starting petitions, getting large groups of parents and organizations together to picket related government buildings/departments, writing letters to local newspaper editors, calling local news stations to draw attention to the problem… Definitely, if anything is to really change societally, there must be an enormous stink raised about it. It seems, at least in America, that people have become more passive overall though. I wonder if it is the same there too? All that is necessary for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing…
Jacqui says
Wowsers… yes my jaw was on the ground! The ‘centre’ sounds like an alias for ‘communist control’.
Kimberly says
When I started homeschooling six years ago, I felt that everyone had to make that decision for themselves. I’m sorry, but I no longer feel that way. Get your kids out of the school system, please!
Oregon Chris says
Potatoes = Carb
Amanda Yoder says
Lose my mind! I would feel I had no choice but to homeschool or choose another school, because that’s insanity (by the way, why aren’t potatoes a carb and vegetable??)!
Sherri@ The Well Floured Kitchen says
Crazy! Just more reasons to homeschool if you ask me 🙂
Sara says
That’s exactly what I thought!!!
Wendy Coffman says
No way I would pay that. Insanity!