[Food] Child food hampers

[The Optimist]

There is a continuing trend of profitable contracts being awarded by central governemt to dubious companies for services to the nation, funded by the state/tax payer. These contracts are not generally open to tender, or subject to scrutiny, and many of the companies have been set up specifically to take advantagfe of these facts, aided and abetted by members of the house. This constitutes a disgusting conflicy of interest and really should have stopped years ago. The tories are not the only ones but it would appear have really made the practice their own and what can only be described as the legal crime of the century..

The awarding of government contracts essentially seems corrupt to me, yet it’s apparently legal and there isn’t the outcry in the media that it should warrant. The sums of money must dwarf the sums involved in the expenses scandal, but it does not get the same level of attention.

 

[Justice]

Poor people have to sit in a damp flat watching a cockroach crawl up the wall whilst eating shit day in day out according to IDS. God forbid if they have a spare room.

 

[KZNSeagull]

The company has apologised and stated that the picture of the parcel did not meet their own specifications for what should be in the hamper.

 

[Jim D]

but where did you get that information from? and where did they get it from? for the main issue, its not clear at all where that number comes from, other than assumptions.

It was on the BBC news.

 

[Recidivist]

A lot of the hoo-haa has come from the below image shared by "RoadsideMum" on Twitter, where she said it was 10 days of food for her 2 children and replaced £30 of food vouchers she would otherwise have received. There was then massed outrage on the basis that a) this is not enough food for the children, and b) it didn't represent £30 of value compared to going to a supermarket (she priced it up at Aldi at £5.22)

The provider, Chartwells, has since clarified that this is actually 5 lunches for 1 child and they billed the government £10.50, which includes the costs of distribution.

I think that without the "fake news" from Twitter this wouldn't have been half as much of a story.

I’be heard all the outrage from media, MPs et al too. It’s a great pity that so few people bother to check the facts before sounding off!

It’s pretty obvious that the government is scared of the “Rashford” effect so will say anything to get on the right side of public opinion, driven by social media?

As an aside, that looks quite a lot of food for 5 kids’ lunches to me! Depends, I guess, whether this is supposed to be a snack lunch or a full meal but looks to me like more than most children would eat in five days and/or, possibly, swap a few items for chocolates instead?

It’s a long time since I had school meals but my step-daughter would invariably take in a healthy(ish) lunch box, because it wasn’t cool (!) to eat the school meal.

The alternative would be to issue food vouchers or deal with it via Universal Credit (the government’s original preferred option, I believe).

If you do it that way, of course, you’re relying on parents to supply a good (nutritious?) lunch.

The libertarian in me says let parents get on with it. The cynic in me says look at the obesity crisis to assess whether that really works!

And yes, of course I’m generalising .......


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[beorhthelm]

It was on the BBC news.

were they reporting from primary source, or lazily replaying the tweets? i looked and couldnt find another source. its difficult because google gets polluted with the news. as far as i can tell the assumption comes from £30 vouchers being given last year.

 

[zefarelly]

The awarding of government contracts essentially seems corrupt to me, yet it’s apparently legal and there isn’t the outcry in the media that it should warrant. The sums of money must dwarf the sums involved in the expenses scandal, but it does not get the same level of attention.

Tells you all you need to know about a majority of the media. sad.

 

[Seasider78]

Am I missing something with all this Rashford food hamper thing?

I always thought it was a parents responsibility to give their child a good breakfast and a good evening meal. School lunches was there to pick up any slack and feed children who didn't get fed at home. Other kids just took a lunch box with a 'snack'.

Why is everybody now moaning about these hampers not being enough to 'feed their kids for 3 days?' It isn't meant to. There seems plenty in the photos for healthy lunchtime snacks.

Now ducks and awaits the lectures.

So we punish the kids by starving them because their parents have had them without having sufficient money. Yeah that will teach them.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I worked in the Benefits industry for many years and quite a few were dealing with emergency payments to families. In the early years cash was handed out but it soon became a very badly managed and abused system. A lot of LA's started handing out food bank vouchers instead. A lot tried handing out supermarket vouchers and unfortunately a small minority spoilt it for the rest. Selling a £20 voucher for £10 cash was not uncommon. They tried restricting what you could use the vouchers for but some supermarkets wouldn't go along with that. Sainsbury's did, vouchers couldn't be used for lottery/fags/alcohol but complaints soon came in of customers creating problems in the supermarkets when they were denied buying what they wanted, so that got stopped as well.

As I say a small minority trying to abuse the system has meant that the Govt just don't trust parents to do the right thing and hence you have food parcels.

And yet they give out child benefit in cash to a majority of parents without a question.

 

[Jim D]

were they reporting from primary source, or lazily replaying the tweets? i looked and couldnt find another source. its difficult because google gets polluted with the news. as far as i can tell the assumption comes from £30 vouchers being given last year.

I have no idea, I didn't look for any accreditations.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Yes the government are partly to blame, but the despicable contractors should be named and shamed, what a ****ing crap country we have become.

Contractors skimming massively off the top is as despicable as it to be expected under this pure criminal shower of shit government

 

[mwrpoole]

And yet they give out child benefit in cash to a majority of parents without a question.

Indeed! Don't suggest to Boris it could be replaced with vouchers he's likely to take you up on it!

 

[Billy the Fish]

Poor people are so stupid, I've got a private chef who could knock up 5 days worth of Michelin star food out of that.

If their own cooks aren't up to standard they should tell their assistant to find a better one

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

The company has apologised and stated that the picture of the parcel did not meet their own specifications for what should be in the hamper.

You would have thought that they had quality control mechanism in place to ensure that this didn’t happen. You’d have thought that government department responsible would also have checked.


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[A1X]

The company has apologised and stated that the picture of the parcel did not meet their own specifications for what should be in the hamper.

Sshh! How dare you come in here posting facts when some people just want to be able to attack poor people making a fuss in peace.

 

[zefarelly]

The company has apologised and stated that the picture of the parcel did not meet their own specifications for what should be in the hamper.

Says their representitive tucking into a Fortum & Mason Hamper from his holiday home in the Cayman Islands

Everything alright then.

 

[zefarelly]

Poor people are so stupid, I've got a private chef who could knock up 5 days worth of Michelin star food out of that.

If their own cooks aren't up to standard they should tell their assistant to find a better one

THis is a very good point. Even my Valet has a Michelin star , amazing what he can knock up with what my chaufeur runs down, when Chefs orf on holiday or an procurement odyssey

Last weekend we had flame grilled mod on a bed of crushed Vespa with a blackberry and claret Jus.

 

[atomised]

Sounds like an irrelevance as it's back to the vouchers next week. However I was under the impression the idea was to replace the hot free school dinner which across a week includes pasta dish, jacket potato, roast dinner, curry and then fish on Fridays. The packages ive seen it would take quite a ready steady cook episode to achieve any of those

 

[WATFORD zero]

were they reporting from primary source, or lazily replaying the tweets? i looked and couldnt find another source. its difficult because google gets polluted with the news. as far as i can tell the assumption comes from £30 vouchers being given last year.

Don't panic, the £30/£10.50 mix up is explained in this article

Free meals firm at centre of outcry was run by Conservative party donor

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/free-school-meals-tory-donor-rashford-b1786501.html

 

[Chicken Run]

Free meals firm at centre of outcry was run by Conservative party donor

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/free-school-meals-tory-donor-rashford-b1786501.html

Who’s it run by now?


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