Robin Plotkin - Lunch Shaming

Many families are facing an unexpected challenge: lunch box shaming.  More than one in four Canadian parents (26 percent) said their child has experienced lunch box shaming in elementary school, with the rate rising to 31 percent among students in Ontario, according to a new survey commissioned by Sistema.  This form of food-based bullying occurs when a child is made to feel bad or embarrassed about the food they bring from home, which often reflects their family's culture or traditions.  The survey also found 40 percent of new Canadians — those who have lived in Canada for five years or less — reported their children have faced lunch box shaming.  The issue is particularly pronounced among Canadian parents from Black, Southeast Asian, Latin American and South Asian communities, with these groups being twice as likely to report incidents of lunch box shaming compared to white parents. Robin is a Registered & Licensed Dietitian