Alarm for school caterers: Parents demand healthy menus and organic quality!

Alarm for school caterers: Parents demand healthy menus and organic quality!

In Germany, the call to improve meals in schools and daycare centers is getting louder. Caterer and Association of German School and Kitacater (VDSKC) warn that the demands of the parents are constantly growing. Ralf Blauert, the chairman of the VDSKC, describes that the parents demand a larger selection of dishes and often want products in organic quality. The caterers present these demands with considerable challenges.

Vegetarian and vegan options are particularly in demand in urban areas. In rural regions, on the other hand, parents often criticize that their children are offered too little meat. These different demands complain the planning and preparation of meals, especially since the quality of the dishes should always be favorable. "The costs must be kept low, even if the claims increase," adds Blauert. Each price adjustment leads to heated debates, which means that caterers often have to balance on a narrow line to meet all requirements.

sobering discussions about free lunch

The “balancing hike” of the caterers was recently discussed in a panel discussion of the VDSKC in Gifhorn (Lower Saxony). A caterer raised the question of how one of the world's wealthiest nations in the world could not afford free, healthy school lens while the demands of the parents are increasing. These concerns gave rise to discussion about the grievances in school and daycare catering.

In January 2024, the “Citizens' Council nutrition”, launched by the Bundestag, recommended that all children in schools and daycare centers ensure free lunch. At the presentation of this idea at the time, Waltraud Weegmann, the chairwoman of the German Kitaverband, was convinced: "So all children could benefit from a healthy diet in the daycare center."

But hope for political changes has been disappointed. Ralf Blauert was disappointing about the lack of progress in the following months. The determination of the scientific service of the Bundestag that education and catering in educational institutions is a matter for the federal states and that the federal government can only support a limited extent is perceived as unpleasant.

long -term advantages of free lunch

The VDSKC chairman demands that the federal and state governments work together on a uniform strategy for meals in daycare centers and schools. He sees a clear advantage for society in a state -financed, free lunch. Children who benefit from solid school catering later show themselves as more powerful and achieve higher incomes. "This can ultimately lead to higher tax revenue for the state," reports Blauert.

"A policy that does not recognize this acts short -sighted and is not interested in social justice," says Blour. For him, investments in school catering are not only investments in health, but also in the future economic performance of the generations. The demand for healthier food in schools and daycare centers is not only a question of nutrition, but also a strategic decision for the development of society in the long run.