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A two year old boy was banned from eating cheese sandwiches at a council-run nursery unless his parents added a lettuce leaf.


Jack Ormisher had his packed lunch taken away by staff who said it violated their healthy eating policy.

When Jack's father went to pick him up from the Westfield Children's Centre, in Pemberton, near Wigan, he was told to include lettuce or tomato in future so the sandwich could be classed as a ''snack'' rather than ''lunch."

The rebuke came after the nursery drew up a list of ''healthy eating options'' for youngsters which include various fruit and vegetables plus rice pasta and potatoes.

Jack's mother Dorothy Gallear, 32, who has withdrawn her son from the nursery, said: ''I think it is absolutely pathetic and these people are playing Big Brother with people's lives.

''When I told people at his new nursery what had happened all over a cheese sandwich some laughed with shock and others were horrified.

"I wouldn't mind but Jack isn't a particularly fussy eater. He loves his casseroles and the attitude of the nursery was ridiculous. They were really really ignorant when I spoke to them.

"They were looking down their noses at me. Jack is settling in really well at his new nursery. he loves it. There is less children and it's a lot bigger. Maybe they have doing us a favour putting him in there.

"We had to up-root him and then settle him over a cheese sandwich. The nursery have said that we agreed to take him out of the nursery but we didn't have a choice.''

A spokesman for Wigan Council said: ''The centre has a list of recommended healthy food, according to national guidelines, which children are encouraged to eat. A cheese sandwich would not feature on the list.''

Westfield Children's Centre Manager Aukje Clegg said: ''We can categorically state that no child has been asked to leave the children's centre. The decision to remove the child from the centre was taken by the parents and not the school.

''We have informed the parents that a place is still available for their child at Westfield should they reconsider.''


Telegraph