A mum has accidentally sparked a fierce debate online after she shared her "meal prep hack" for preparing her children's packed lunches for the entire week.

Can you see what all the fuss is about?

An Aussie mum’s meal prep hack has stirred a commotion online. Credit: Facebook.​

An Australian mum took to Facebook to share how she prepares her kids' packed lunches for the 5-day school week every Sunday.

In her post, the mum shared photos of the packed meals, which included sandwiches, fruit, chopped vegetables, cheese cubes, blueberry bread and chocolate cake.

“Sundays are for smashing out a week’s worth of lunch boxes,” she wrote, explaining that all the 10 lunch boxes are prepared on Sunday.

“Doing this every Sunday really helps when our weeks are so busy!”

While the hack seemed to be brilliant for busy parents across the country due to its "time-saving" benefits, a number of parents raised their concerns over the meals, with many pointing out that the sandwiches would get "soggy" after a few days.

One person wrote: “Glad it works for you, it’s great. It’s a NO from me ... I wouldn’t wanna eat five-day-old sandwiches.”

“I couldn’t eat that knowing it was like that for a week," another added.

A third said: “People post these things and say the kids are fine with it but are they really? Frozen sandwiches sound revolting and sandwiches made like six days earlier sound completely horrid. Poor kids.”

Another comment read: “I have bad memories from my mum pre-making sandwiches; they were so gross.”

“I can’t even make my daughter's salad sandwich the night before because it goes soggy and she hates it,” wrote another parent.

A number of parents raised their concern over the packed lunches on whether they’re safe to eat. Credit: Tobias Titz/Getty Images.​

A number of users expressed their doubts on the freshness (or lack thereof) of the sandwiches given that they had been prepared days in advance, questioning whether they are still safe to eat.

One person wrote: “I do fresh every night and I have five. That’s not safe and you can’t keep them fresh for five days.”

“I am a kitchen manager and it’s not safe!” another added.

While some of the arguments raised are valid and rational, a number of users backed the mum saying that they do the hack themselves.

One comment read: “I do this as well. Works fantastically well.”

“This is great, I pre-make and freeze sandwiches for the kids they get them out every night after dinner - spent 95 per cent of today cooking and baking so the kids (five at school, preschool n daycare) have snacks etc for during the week,” one parent wrote.

Meanwhile, a number of users shared tips on how to keep foods fresher for longer periods of time.

“And for everyone curious, choose foods that last a couple of days such as berries, fresh bakers delight bread (not processed junk), and make sure your filter is clean on your fridge,” one Facebook user said.

“Take safety precautions and it is safe. Base the fridge life off the shortest used by date of the products used."

“Also, if people don’t want to do it, fine don’t. Move on. Imagine going on to someone’s post just to attack them for how they do things. Not your monkeys, not your circus.”

How about you? What are your thoughts on this debate?

 

[Ricci]

If it works for you and your family go at it I say. Just wondering, how long do you think those nicely prepacked sandwiches at lunch bars have been there?

 

[Big Al]

Mum’s “time-saving” meal prep hack accidentally causes a commotion on social media — “It’s a NO from me!”​

A mum has accidentally sparked a fierce debate online after she shared her "meal prep hack" for preparing her children's packed lunches for the entire week.

Can you see what all the fuss is about?

An Aussie mum’s meal prep hack has stirred a commotion online. Credit: Facebook.​

An Australian mum took to Facebook to share how she prepares her kids' packed lunches for the 5-day school week every Sunday.

In her post, the mum shared photos of the packed meals, which included sandwiches, fruit, chopped vegetables, cheese cubes, blueberry bread and chocolate cake.

“Sundays are for smashing out a week’s worth of lunch boxes,” she wrote, explaining that all the 10 lunch boxes are prepared on Sunday.

“Doing this every Sunday really helps when our weeks are so busy!”

While the hack seemed to be brilliant for busy parents across the country due to its "time-saving" benefits, a number of parents raised their concerns over the meals, with many pointing out that the sandwiches would get "soggy" after a few days.

One person wrote: “Glad it works for you, it’s great. It’s a NO from me ... I wouldn’t wanna eat five-day-old sandwiches.”

“I couldn’t eat that knowing it was like that for a week," another added.

A third said: “People post these things and say the kids are fine with it but are they really? Frozen sandwiches sound revolting and sandwiches made like six days earlier sound completely horrid. Poor kids.”

Another comment read: “I have bad memories from my mum pre-making sandwiches; they were so gross.”

“I can’t even make my daughter's salad sandwich the night before because it goes soggy and she hates it,” wrote another parent.

A number of parents raised their concern over the packed lunches on whether they’re safe to eat. Credit: Tobias Titz/Getty Images.​

A number of users expressed their doubts on the freshness (or lack thereof) of the sandwiches given that they had been prepared days in advance, questioning whether they are still safe to eat.

One person wrote: “I do fresh every night and I have five. That’s not safe and you can’t keep them fresh for five days.”

“I am a kitchen manager and it’s not safe!” another added.

While some of the arguments raised are valid and rational, a number of users backed the mum saying that they do the hack themselves.

One comment read: “I do this as well. Works fantastically well.”

“This is great, I pre-make and freeze sandwiches for the kids they get them out every night after dinner - spent 95 per cent of today cooking and baking so the kids (five at school, preschool n daycare) have snacks etc for during the week,” one parent wrote.

Meanwhile, a number of users shared tips on how to keep foods fresher for longer periods of time.

“And for everyone curious, choose foods that last a couple of days such as berries, fresh bakers delight bread (not processed junk), and make sure your filter is clean on your fridge,” one Facebook user said.

“Take safety precautions and it is safe. Base the fridge life off the shortest used by date of the products used."

“Also, if people don’t want to do it, fine don’t. Move on. Imagine going on to someone’s post just to attack them for how they do things. Not your monkeys, not your circus.”

How about you? What are your thoughts on this debate?

Post personal things on social media and get responses you would prefer not to get.
Moral: Don't post personal stuff on social media.

 

[JayKay]

I could never have done that to my children.
I loved preparing their lunches in the early morning of the day to be eaten....so that everything was as fresh and crisp as it could possibly be.
I prepared it all with love, imagining them hoeing into their tucker with relish, refreshing their growing bodies for the afternoon as they socialised with their friends.
They had 'proper' lunch boxes.
I'm not certain, but are the containers in the photo disposable plastic trays with lids?
If so, I find this very irresponsible.....

 

[Ricci]

Having worked as a volunteer in a primary school canteen I can honestly say I don't think it matters much when you prepare the lunches. The vast majority of it ends up in the bin anyway. On more than one occasion I have seen kids open their lunch boxes and upend the whole thing into the bin.

 

[SGH]

When I went to school, my mother made a vegemite sandwich every day. I absolutely detested vegemite back then but in the 1960's you weren't allowed to dump your lunch in the bin. So at the end of term they would all be found on the top of my wardrobe, because that's when the penicillin started smelling. When I was asked why, I'd say I don't like vegemite sandwiches, but when back to school came around that would be what I would get all over again.
I told my kids tell me what you want for lunch and I would go out of my way just to get it, it saves wasting food.

 

[Craftingnonna]

Surely the children will tell mum if they were unhappy with lunch!
We had 5 children and if I packed something they didn’t like they would say so, besides there are warning signs if a child hasn’t eaten their lunch. When they come home from school they eat everything in the fridge.
This mother has packed a health lunch, with a good selection for the child to choose from. There is no need to be critical of a mother that’s trying to do the right thing.
Let’s face it nowadays school lunches have gone overboard.
First lunches must be healthy, otherwise parents are criticised for feeding their kids junk.
Second parents need to be mindful of the other children and all their allergies.
In my opinion a child should be able to eat whatever they like, but no schools monitor what the children are eating and then abuse the parents, making them feel like they are bad parents.
I say to this mother, continue doing what you’re doing, if it works for you and your children well and good.

 

[Janadele]

I will not have someone tell me what to pack for my child. A mother knows what their child will eat. A teacher to send home a uneaten lunch with a note is not acceptable. That child to go hungry is not right. I bet those so call teachers eat what they want so mind your own business.
I buy the food not you. You are their to teach their ABC. Stay out of the kids lunches.

 

[Craftingnonna]

I will not have someone tell me what to pack for my child. A mother knows what their child will eat. A teacher to send home a uneaten lunch with a note is not acceptable. That child to go hungry is not right. I bet those so call teachers eat what they want so mind your own business.
I buy the food not you. You are their to teach their ABC. Stay out of the kids lunches.

Janadele, I couldn’t have said that better, bravo