A SCHOOL has banned its pupils from eating Marmite because it says the spread contains too much salt.
The pupils at Pontrhydfendigaid Primary School in Cardiganshire, have been tucking into Marmite on toast at the school’s breakfast club since the start of term.
But some parents were puzzled by their children being stopped from eating yeast extract spread Marmite – whose slogan is “Love it or hate it?”
One mum criticised the “nanny state” after saying generations of her family have grown up with Marmite on toast.
Parents of children at the village school yesterday said the rule left a bad taste in the mouth.
One mother said: “It’s ridiculous. We have it at home all the time – not everyone likes it but my kids love it.
“The dinner ladies said they were no longer able to serve the children with Marmite on their toast, because of its salt content.
“But it seems strange they can serve the toast with jam and marmalade which are full of sugar.
“It is the nanny state going too far – generations of my family have grown up on Marmite.
“If they like the taste of Marmite and it encourages them to eat breakfast then that is a good thing.”
A spokesman for the school said they had begun serving Marmite in the breakfast club, but it was now off the morning menu after the salt content was highlighted.
He said the food served at school breakfast clubs are based on Welsh Assembly Government guidelines – and Marmite is not included.
He said: “Breakfast clubs are intended to improve the health and concentration of children – to assist in the raising of standards of learning and attainment.
“But anything served must be healthy and nutritionally balanced.
“Marmite is not included on the list of items as it does include a high level of salt.
“Low sugar marmalade or jam can be spread on toast, but lemon curd is not on the list of provisions.”
Dietician Jane Freeman of the British Dietetic Association also warned that one serving of Marmite could contain more than 10% of a child’s Recommended Daily Intake of salt.
“According to its website, a two gram serving, which is a thin scrape, accounts for 13% of a child’s RDI if they are aged one to six. That is a fair amount of salt.
“It accounts for 5% for children aged five to 14.”
A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly Government said Marmite was not contained on its list of recommended foods.
“In terms of toppings for toast we indicate that these are optional and where required a low-fat polyunsaturated spread should be used and similarly a reduced sugar jam,” he said. “Where toppings are provided, we would of course encourage schools to carefully consider what they make available to the children, given the aim of this scheme is to provide primary school children with the opportunity to have a healthy breakfast at school each day.”
A spokesperson for Unilever which makes Marmite – a British favourite since 1902 – said: “It is disappointing the council is not including Marmite in its items for breakfast clubs.
“It does contain salt and it is important that only small quantities are used for taste.
“But it is not harmful, and only a small amount is required to make toast tasty for children.”
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I think this is definately taking things too far. It is the parents respensibility what they want their kids to eat. There are many things that contaain salt, if this is a breakfast club does this mean the children won't be allowed pancakes, or butter (unless low fat), or chocolate cereals? I actually don't think this is promoting healthy eating it is promoting restriction of foods.
I can understand the school refusing to serve it themselves, but I think it's silly to ban the students from bringing it from home.
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So.....NUTELLA is allowed to go on toast, which is just basically chocolate, no matter how they try to make it sound healthy, it is. Chocolate on toast.
But Marmite isnt?
My god.
We’ve got obsessions
I want to erase every nasty thought that bugs me every day of every week
We’ve got obsessions
You never tell me what it is that makes you strong and what it is that makes you weak.
Yes marmite has salt, but it is also a good source of B vitamins, so actually has some nutritional value as opposed to sugary jam. I think some restrictions on school meals are a good thing, such as I believe schools are only allowed to serve chips once a week now. But something eaten in as small quantities as marmite? It's silly.
I think the whole 'healthy eating' thing has gone over the top these days.
In this month's 'mother and baby' magazine there is an article saying that some children with health conscious parents are actually getting MALNOURISHED because they're not given enough 'unhealthy' things. In some nurseries, kids are given something like 15 portions of fruit/veg. That's crazy.
And did you know wholegrain things are actually NOT recommended for toddlers because they fill them up too much?
And yeah, 10% isn't that much. Probably their school meal doesn't have any salt in it so that leaves 90% left for their evening meal and snacks (if this is fruit or something uber healthy, again, no salt).
its ridiculous IMO!! Like someone said, as long as they are eating ok the rest of the day, when why not?? It certainly is healthier then jam or even honey.. I just dont get it..
I can understand the school refusing to serve it themselves, but I think it's silly to ban the students from bringing it from home.
On the basis that the school could get in trouble with an over protective controlling government. But no one should stop kids from bringing it entirely...it is their Parents decision what they eat, they are the guardians.
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This is going way to far i mean there is salt in everything these days, it wouldn't surprise me if salt was added to jam to preserve the nutriants while it is stored for the weeks and months people keep it stocked away in their fridges and cupboards.
And thats the thing, go back to Victorian times they didn't have fridges they had to pack the product in salt be it anything from meat to anything else that couldn't be stowed in jars, though even the jarred items would be pickled in salt water so they didn't spoil. Sure the life expectancy under Queen Victoria's reign was like 60 years of age, but the food wasn't the killer it was war and bad hospital care for the ill.
Something tells me the British government is taking this life expectancy thing too far i mean, we are already on average expected to live to the age of 85 with an influx on both ends of the spectrum. Though the government are also the ones complaining our country is too full due to too many people living too long, surely it would make sense to let us all eat what we want and let natural selection pick us off from heart attacks and stroke, bringing back the balance in this country.
All i see these days is a hypocritical hierarchy of intelligent people that can afford to eat healthy. Last i checked all this healthy food is not cheap, i am not talking about vegetables which are still expensive if you want a high quality cut of produce. I am not even going to get started on Tesco's gross misuse of farmers by undercutting them and selling their produce for 25p, but thats the thing the government, Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay are all telling us to eat healthy but the fact is most people cannot afford to eat that way.
I mean it is cheaper to buy a kebab and chips than it is to prepare a one person course that is healthy with the best ingredients. Not to mention the time it takes, Jamie Oliver may think 45 minutes is a short time to be cooking something but for me a pizza delivery is faster, i could walk to the chip shop and get back home to eat it faster, i could microwave a burger in 3 minutes, it may not be healthy but it's far more convenient and thats what i am getting at.
Why should i be healthy when everything in life is planned out for me i know one day i'll die, i know i'll eat something every day and i know at some point i'll get ill and probably get fat in old age. Personally i think this nanny state has to stop as i don't see life being fun if i cannot enjoy my food, i mean what is the point in counting calories and watching what you eat when tommorow you could get hit by a bus or murdered. Personally i would love my last meal to be something i wanted to eat and not something the government forced me to eat.
Today it's banning schools from feeding children something, tommorow its full menu takeover, next year we could have cameras in our own homes for the sake of "security", it's mad and this world is going to self destruct if it is not careful..
