(Picture: Getty)

Parents are kicking off at a nursery for feeding their children vegan food without their consent.

A mum, Aimee, has turned to parenting site Netmums to say that she’s fuming that her son’s nursery has changed their menu to vegan and the children are being offered no fish or meat option with their meals.

The nursery’s deputy manager is vegan and on her return from maternity leave, has transformed the nursery which her child also attends.

Amiee feels that parents should be able to make their own decisions as to what their kids eat and not be railroaded into being vegan without choice.

‘So we had an email this week from my son’s nursery saying they are changing their food menu – little did I expect when I received the menu they have changed the whole menu to a vegan menu, no prior consent or questions put forward to the parents, or from staff, from what I can gather!’ she writes on the forum.

‘This has really got my back up as I feel we are being railroaded into making our children vegan without a choice, no option of meat or fish! My family are a meat eating family, as many others in the nursery. I have complained but was shrugged off by the manager who has basically said it’s because the deputy manager has come back from maternity leave and she is the vegan and it’s for her son!

‘Then she started going on about carbon footprint. The nursery is on a farm which rears animals to kill to eat as part of the natural cycle of life! Can I go to Ofsted with this?’

And she’s got some support from other parents who believe that dietary choices shouldn’t be forced on children, with some asking what would happen if it was omnivores forcing vegans to eat meat.

‘I would be absolutely livid about this,’ comments one parent.

‘I am a farmer but that is beside the point, children are unable to live on a vegan diet as certain nutrients that young children need are not available from plant-only based food. I am sick of all the vegan propaganda on social media, which is entirely misleading fake information about farming practices and animal welfare sadly the increasingly urban population is so removed from rural life that they believe the vegan lies.

‘I would be changing nursery if this was done to my daughter’s nursery I don’t want my kids railroaded into a vegan lifestyle, young children are unable to make decisions like this on their own, if when they are old enough to decide to be vegan themselves and they make that decision so be it but I will ensure they have all the true facts to make an informed decision.’

But not everyone agrees. In fact, there are quite a few people arguing that a plant-based diet is probably the best thing for these small children as it’ll ensure they’re getting a good whack of fruit and veg, while keeping their saturated fat levels low.

After all…wouldn’t turning a nursery vegan simply mean the children having one or two plant-based meals a day? They’d still get their animal products at home.

One mum writes: ‘I don’t understand why you feel like your child MUST eat meat while at nursery? You can still feed your child meat and fish outside of nursery. I just don’t understand why you would complain that the nursery are changing their menu to a much healthier and nutritious option’.

And another agrees: ‘Just my opinion, but I think it’s a good thing. The healthiest diet that we can eat is actually a whole food plant-based diet. Eating meat causes a whole range of health problems from cancer to heart disease and diabetes and so many more.

No one’s suggesting that the kids go full-time vegan so what’s the issue? (Picture: Dave Anderson)

‘If the nursery has switched to a nutritious vegan diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and minimal oil and sugar and no processed food then this is actually a good thing for your child. It will get children to try more veggies and be less resistant to them, especially in a nursery setting where children watch other children eating and are more likely to try new foods.’

‘Vegans don’t impose their lifestyle on all. Have a look around at all the ads on posters, newspapers, magazines, TV and you’ll see it’s all meat and dairy. The World Health Organisation and Cancer Research have said processed meats are carcinogenic, this includes bacon, ham etc. Eggs are extremely high in cholesterol, eczema and asthma sufferers are recommended to reduce or cease the use of dairy.

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‘Why is it that there are no major health risks associated with a plant-based diet?’

So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments.

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