By Gunnar Schupelius
Ordered food is simply not picked up, children throw away entire meals after a short poking around. It can’t stay like this, you don’t treat food like this, says Gunnar Schupelius.
Parents and teachers can tell you a thing or two about it: In elementary schools, a large proportion of freshly delivered lunches end up in the bin.
Either the students don’t even pick up the ordered food or the students don’t like it and therefore throw the food away.
The Evangelische Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster reported that up to 50 of the 130 meals delivered were left standing. The catering company “3 Kochs” announced that 25 percent of the dishes delivered had to be disposed of. At one school, 200 of a total of 400 lunches ordered were collected as waste. The “Berliner Zeitung” reported on it.
In Berlin, 89 percent of all children in grades 1 to 6 have a contract for lunch, which has been delivered free of charge since August 1, 2019.
The Senate spent 112 million euros on this last year, and it is expected to be 177 million euros in 2022. According to calculations by the district offices, the price for school meals per portion rose by 32 cents to 4.68 euros.
Is it possible that a quarter or even half of the children don’t pick up the expensive meals at all or throw them away after a little poking around?
In response to our request, the school senate initially denied: “This volume of uncollected portions cannot be confirmed across the city,” said a spokesman in response to our request.
But then we learn that on August 1, 2022, a new regulation came into force “according to which caterers, in consultation with the school and the parents, can terminate lunch contracts for a specific period of time if they are repeatedly found not to have lunch.”
This was not possible before. The caterers could not terminate the contracts.
The administration thus indirectly confirms that a large number of meals are ordered and not picked up, otherwise this regulation would not have had to be enforced.
The regulation is of great importance for the caterers. They groan under the weight of “waste”, as the food waste is called in technical jargon. They have to collect and collect all leftovers from the schools and drive to the nearest biogas plant. A caterer, who wishes to remain anonymous, puts the cost of this disposal at 8,000 euros per month.
The finished meals may not be passed on to those in need, for example to the table. According to the regulations, a freshly cooked meal may no longer be eaten more than three hours after it has been prepared.
And so the precious meals remain, which must consist of 60 percent organic food and are produced with great expenditure of natural gas, electricity and diesel for production and transport.
It can’t stay like this, that’s not how you treat food.
Is Gunnar Schupelius right? Call: 030/2591 73153 or email: [email protected]