A Western Australian mother has ignited a contentious debate after reporting that her child's school has banned children from bringing fruit during its designated fruit and vegetable snack break and instead modified it to "vegetables only."
The woman mentioned in a post on the well-known "Lunch Box Mums" Facebook page that she had gotten a written notification from the school that any fruit she brought in would be sent home. After her message went viral, hundreds of parents criticized the decision, calling it "confusing," "stupid," and even "damaging."
Some even suggested that it might be a contributing factor to children's disordered eating. The mother said in the article, "I recently learned that our school has changed Crunch & Sip to 'vegetables only,' and students will be told to put their Crunch & Sip back in their bags if it is fruit. "Does this happen at any other school? I must admit that I disagree with this adjustment because it feels so strange." Neither the school nor the rationale behind the fruit ban were mentioned.
Crunch & Sip: What is it? Cancer Council WA oversees the Crunch & Sip school nutrition program in Western Australia. In order to improve their focus and general health, the program gives school pupils a brief in-class break during which they can sip water and consume an additional portion of fruit or vegetables. Lunch and recess are not replaced by the break.
The ban infuriated the majority of parents, as seen by the 140 likes and nearly 300 comments on the mother's post. "This gives children bad food messages! claiming that eating fruit is not "authorized" for them? Limiting processed sugary foods is sense, but natural things like fruit are poisonous. One participant said, "I would like to see what the teachers eat for their morning tea." "Nah, would not go past me," another wrote. If they tell my child they cannot eat, I will go down there right away because I will be carrying what they want and will eat. A third joked, "And that is how eating problems start." "For crying out loud, that is fruit. I would advise my children to simply consume it.
That is insane. A fourth said, "It just does not sound right to me." A fifth person said, "Get a grip, point out how completely absurd the regulation is, and ask them to explain their logic (and then explain why it is silly)." Another parent questioned, "Why do schools think they can police lunch boxes so much?" Some referred to it as "dumb" and "strange," likening it to the "almond mom" style of thinking. "What is the world coming to WTF?" and "This is getting out of hand!" were among the other responses. Crazy. Sending a fruit snack is perfectly OK.
Reference:
‘Toxic’: Aussie Parents Outraged As School Bans Fruit, News Australia
A Western Australian mother has ignited a contentious debate after reporting that her child's school has banned children from bringing fruit during its designated fruit