Faced with inflation, a city cuts part of the meal tray in the canteen

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Faced with inflation, a small town in Seine-Maritime has taken the decision to alternately remove the starter, the cheese or the dessert in the canteens (illustration photo taken in Stockholm, Sweden).

INFLATION – It’s cheese OR dessert. While inflation invites itself into the speech of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, who spoke on Wednesday August 24 of the “end of abundance”, it will also be seen at the start of the school year in the canteens of Caudebec-lès -Elbeuf, a small town in Seine-Maritime, south of Rouen.

As our colleagues from BFMTV report, the town hall has actually decided to reduce the portions that will be served to children rather than increasing the price of meal trays. Thus, depending on the day, the children will occasionally have to do without the starter, cheese or dessert.

A choice ” economic ” and ” rational »

” We talked a lot about it with the parents of students who read and validated this proposal “Explains to BFMTV Laurent Bonnaterre, the Horizons mayor of the town, who also sees it as a way to fight against waste. ” During the discussion, we realized that in our own meals, we didn’t make five components and so we came back to something more rational. This is corroborated by the parents interviewed by our colleagues who understand the economic choice made in Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf.

Indeed, as stated in the town’s magazine, the city’s school catering provider announced a budget increase of ” 32,000 euros per year due to the current situation. And the local elected officials therefore opt for this reduction of the plateau rather than ” increase family budgets “Explains the municipal newspaper which ensures that these adjustments” will also make it possible to maintain the share of organic food “.

Screenshot of Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf magazine

In the magazine of the city of Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf (Seine-Maritime), the municipality defends the choice to reduce the portions served to children in school canteens in the heart of a period of inflation.

The magazine brings another argument to the debate, namely a desire to fight against food waste. ” The study carried out last March at the municipal restaurant showed that 21 kilos of food per child per year are thrown away “, can we read in particular.

Some criticism at the political level

Within the political class, several personalities expressed their indignation. Laure Lavalette, RN deputy of the VAR and spokesperson for the far-right group in the National Assembly denounces in particular ” total failure of Emmanuel Macron’s policy, symbolized by the ” end of abundance at school too “.

His colleague Nupes from Seine-Saint-Denis Thomas Portes deplores the fact that children are forced to “reduce their meal, often the only balanced meal of the day” and speaks of a “shame” by calling for school meals to be made free. .

The question of the price of meal trays is very much present in the current context, while the rise in energy prices and Ukraine make inflation a central theme for the start of the school year. According to the AMF, the Association of Mayors of France, the increase in the price of the canteen will be around 10 to 20 centimes per day, and the body ensures that the municipalities will make the effort not to pass on too much inflation so as to preserve low-income households.

France Bleu reports in the same way the example of the Departmental Council of Côte-d’Or which maintains the price of the tray at two euros per day for middle school students, without passing on the additional cost of five million euros that inflation generates.

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