Two in three children eat at least once a week in the canteen *. At the same time, nearly 17% of children are overweight (including 3.9% obese) **. We therefore understand the importance of restoration
school, especially since lunch must represent 40% of daily energy intake. Ideally, it should be balanced, healthy, rich in flavor, a source of pleasure … But that is still very rare.
“Kitchen nightmare”?
Aired last September on M6, the program “SOS cantine: the chefs counter-attack” has set foot in the dish. Four renowned chefs discovered with amazement what was cooking in two school canteens in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais): dishes prepared several days in advance in a central kitchen and reheated in plastic trays, frozen fish of distant origin, dehydrated sauces, canned vegetables … Results : children shun their plate and 70% of the food served goes into the trash! Rolling up their sleeves, the chefs showed how you could cook fresh, seasonal foods while respecting budgetary and sanitary constraints. Because that’s where the problem lies: very strict hygienic rules, tight budget and lack of means make it difficult to cook well.
Fortunately, this finding does not apply to all canteens. Each establishment chooses its mode of operation. Some have a “real” kitchen which simmers meals on site, others are delivered by a central kitchen which prepares large quantities of dishes several days in advance for different customers.
Disparate situations
“The more volume we produce, the more draconian the hygiene rules and the greater the temptation to use industrial products: eggs in cans, powdered desserts to be reconstituted and stuffed with additives …”, laments the dietician. Valérie Jacquier. Schools can organize menu boards, where parents, elected officials, chef and manager discuss. And they can call on a dietitian to validate the balance of meals. This ensures compliance with the recommendations of the GEM-RCN (group catering and nutrition market study group) which precisely set the weights adapted to each age group and the presentation frequencies of each type of dish.
Balanced meals but …
Inspired by the GEM-RCN, the 2011 decree relating to the nutritional quality of meals served as part of school catering has greatly improved the situation, according to a study by UFC-Que Choisir in 2013. The meal must include a main course, a side dish, a dairy product and a starter and / or a dessert. Water and bread must be self-service, while salt and sauces should be served according to the dishes. The frequency of fatty and sweet preparations (nuggets, pastries …) is limited. A minimum of raw vegetables, fresh fruit, cheeses rich in calcium are required. On paper, school menus are therefore relatively balanced. The problem is that if the products are of poor quality and poorly cooked, they are not eaten: hard meat, tasteless vegetables, overcooked pasta … end up in the trash, and the good nutritional balance collapses.
Read also:Adopting a balanced diet is not that complicated!
Organic and local are gradually breaking through
Fortunately, over the past ten years, things have changed, especially in small towns, where the mayor, farmers and cooks are working together towards more organic and local products. Their motivations: to feed children well, develop the territory’s economy and preserve the environment. “The public authorities, via the Grenelle de l’Environnement, the PNNS (National Health Nutrition Plan) or the PNA (National Food Program) are encouraging this,” notes Valérie Jacquier. Afterwards, it is a question of political choices: it is the municipalities and communities that decide whether or not to provide subsidies ”. For the moment, organic only represents 3% of the menus, far from the 20% set by the Grenelle. But Stéphane Veyrat, director of the Un Plus Bio association, the aim of which is to develop organic food in collective catering, is positive: “From 20 members in 2013, we have gone to 52 today and we are considering the hundred in two. years. Eight cities are even 100% organic in the canteen: Ungersheim, Grande-Synthe, Mouans-Sartoux … The big cities are not left out: Toulouse displays 25% of organic products in its canteens, Paris is considering 50% of products organic and labeled by 2020. “
What to do at home?
If your child gets hungry when they come home from school and often tells you that the food they serve is not good, you can take action. At home first, making sure he gets a full and balanced breakfast and dinner. Then in the canteen, by creating a group of parents of pupils, by meeting those in charge of catering, by developing a project … And for those who fear an increase in the price, Valérie Jacquier recalls that “the cost of raw materials represents only 20% of the price of the meal. It’s worth paying a few pennies more for better quality, pesticide-free and tastier dishes! “
* National individual study on food consumption 2006-2007 (INCA 2).
** Health study on the environment, biomonitoring, physical activity and nutrition (Esteban) 2014-2016.
Our experts
Valérie Jacquier, dietitian, member of the GEM-RCN working group and of the Les Pieds dans le plat collective
Stéphane Veyrat, director of the Un Plus Bio association
Read also:
School canteens: choice harms nutritional quality
Meals in the canteen will be organic and local in 2020!
Food for children: beware of industrial pizzas