Local Authorites can cook better and cheaper in house without the need to deliver profits to shareholders.
Government is big enough that private companies have zero need to be involved in food production and preperation.
I don’t think Redbridge Community School is unique, school canteen food is usually non-nutritious, bordering on inedible. The food at my school wasn’t great either and I imagine with budget cuts its got worse.
>”dedicated to delivering the nourishment to help fuel and inspire young minds”
Considering how important it is to keep children and young people well fed, it should be healthy and free for all students.
Surely the Head is in charge of the tender process. They signed up for this shite.
It’s not just that school. 99% of all school canteen food is on par with dog food.
What if the food is deliberately tasteless in order to prevent the children from becoming gourmands and stuffing their faces too much such that it makes them obese?
My daughter’s school recently changed from cooking food on-site to shipping it in from an external caterer. Not only has the quality of food gone downhill but the selection has dropped off a cloud too.
We are vegan, as it’s the child, and often there is no vegan option on the menu, only fruit salad. The dinner ladies bought some Linda McCartney sausages so there’s always the option of sausage and chips for the vegan kids but that’s separate from what the caterers provide.
> operational challenges and staffing issues
“People just don’t want to work shitty hours for shit wages any more!”
I worked in school kitchens ten years ago, and everything then was made on site.
All the women I worked with cared deeply about feeding the children well. Everything had to meet nutritional guidelines, as well as accommodations for allergies and religious needs.
We were paid peanuts and often worked unpaid time for cleaning and prep, because the scheduled hours were simply not enough to get the job done.
Rather than pay dedicated staff properly who delivered excellent service to schools, it gets outsourced and the bottom line is all that matters
my sons school provider is Chartwells and they can’t stand the food. Not “i’m a fussy eater” refusal but more ” the food is disgusting” refusal!
9 comments
Classic Compass Catering (owner of Chartwells).
Local Authorites can cook better and cheaper in house without the need to deliver profits to shareholders.
Government is big enough that private companies have zero need to be involved in food production and preperation.
I don’t think Redbridge Community School is unique, school canteen food is usually non-nutritious, bordering on inedible. The food at my school wasn’t great either and I imagine with budget cuts its got worse.
>”dedicated to delivering the nourishment to help fuel and inspire young minds”
Considering how important it is to keep children and young people well fed, it should be healthy and free for all students.
Surely the Head is in charge of the tender process. They signed up for this shite.
It’s not just that school. 99% of all school canteen food is on par with dog food.
What if the food is deliberately tasteless in order to prevent the children from becoming gourmands and stuffing their faces too much such that it makes them obese?
My daughter’s school recently changed from cooking food on-site to shipping it in from an external caterer. Not only has the quality of food gone downhill but the selection has dropped off a cloud too.
We are vegan, as it’s the child, and often there is no vegan option on the menu, only fruit salad. The dinner ladies bought some Linda McCartney sausages so there’s always the option of sausage and chips for the vegan kids but that’s separate from what the caterers provide.
> operational challenges and staffing issues
“People just don’t want to work shitty hours for shit wages any more!”
I worked in school kitchens ten years ago, and everything then was made on site.
All the women I worked with cared deeply about feeding the children well. Everything had to meet nutritional guidelines, as well as accommodations for allergies and religious needs.
We were paid peanuts and often worked unpaid time for cleaning and prep, because the scheduled hours were simply not enough to get the job done.
Rather than pay dedicated staff properly who delivered excellent service to schools, it gets outsourced and the bottom line is all that matters
my sons school provider is Chartwells and they can’t stand the food. Not “i’m a fussy eater” refusal but more ” the food is disgusting” refusal!