Toulouse: portions decreasing in school canteens, the anger of parents
Concern is increasing among parents of students at the Bayard school in Toulouse as “the quantity of food decreases” in the canteen. A delegate of FCPE parents steps up to denounce “the savings” made by the city in the principle of the fight against waste.
Can we reconcile the fight against food waste in school canteens and well-stocked plates? The question occupied the discussions of a recent school council of the Bayard elementary school in Toulouse.
“The teachers told us that day that we had to expect changes in the children’s menus at the start of the next school year, explains this father of a CE2-CM1 student and FCPE delegate who wishes to remain anonymous. Pupils who eat in the canteen will have, on certain days of the week, the choice between a starter or a dessert. My daughter often confides to me that she is hungry when she leaves the canteen, and that the quantities on her plate are decreasing. many parents of students make the same observation and also the teachers who dare not say it officially.
The town hall has decided
To fight against food waste, the town hall of Toulouse decided in 2021. At the start of the school year, “the proportions of the plates of the pupils of the nursery schools were reduced in order to avoid the 30% of food thrown daily in the trash” .
There are a few figures to bear in mind: out of the 35,000 meals served each day by the central kitchen to students from the 210 schools in Toulouse, more than 14 tonnes of food products are wasted each year, i.e. approximately 58,000 euros thrown in the trash.
Also in September 2021, the city launched several schemes to reduce the food waste bill, which is not just a problem for school canteens. With the app TooGoodToGo, individuals can buy the remains of school menus at a reduced price: for example, two trays of meat and vegetables sold for 3 euros to be collected from the central kitchen, in Basso Cambo. Of this sum, 1.91 euros goes to the town hall.
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“I find it shocking”
The application allowed the “rescue” of more than 1,600 baskets, i.e. 4.16 tons of CO2 less. In addition, 328 baskets were also offered via HopHopFoodand for the students”, recalls the deputy mayor in charge of eating well Jean-Jacques Bolzan. “We do everything at the town hall to be in tune with everyone’s tastes, but it’s not easy”, recognizes the elected official.
But it is the question of the grammage of the meals which poses the question to the parents of pupils. Jean-Dominique Delle Luche, father of two children educated at Matabiau (kindergarten) and Bayard (elementary) school, says he is “shocked” by the municipal method. “We obviously have to fight against waste, but to eliminate certain desserts and force the child to choose his meal, I find that a bit scandalous. The weight on the plate is so low that some adults, who also eat in the canteen , sometimes deprive themselves to leave desserts for the children.”
Food waste: communities in the fight in colleges and high schools
In addition to the measures taken by the city of Toulouse to fight against food waste in school canteens, the other local authorities are also in the fight by deploying various devices. The departmental council of Haute-Garonne, for example, proposed to colleges to join “the market for the collection and recovery of bio-waste within the framework of a group of orders”. In 2022, around sixty establishments were to be in the loop. In addition, the Department has created fourteen catering coordinator positions to support colleges in changing practices. The Occitanie regional council, in charge of high schools, has been carrying out actions for several years to reduce and better manage bio-waste from school catering. In 2018, the region published an “anti-waste” good practice guide.