New standards for school meals: healthy, tasty and affordable!

New standards for school meals: healthy, tasty and affordable!

The Main-Taunus district has set out to redesign school lunches and thereby set a lot of things in motion. The district committee has decided to allocate lunch to six elementary schools in order to create uniform standards for healthy and affordable meals. This decision was made after the previous catering contracts with the provider varisano were terminated. In order to implement the new catering, a subsidiary of the Taunus service company (DGT) will be founded, although its establishment still has to be confirmed by the district council. The goal: good, affordable school meals for all students in the district.

The newly allocated schools include:School in the Sindlingen meadowsand theMax von Gagern Schoolin Kelkheim as well as theCretzschmar Schoolin Sulzbach, theLiederbach School, theTheodor Heuss Schooland theOtfried Preußler Schoolin Bad Soden. More schools are expected to follow soon, as all catering and food distribution will be pooled at a total of 31 school locations. The transfer of the employees of the varisano clinics to the new DGT subsidiary SGT should also contribute to increasing efficiency.

Uniform standards and healthy nutrition

A central concern of the new regulation is the creation of uniform standards for school meals. The Main-Taunus district has coordinated closely with the school management as well as the parent and student representatives in order to incorporate their suggestions into the award process. The aim is not only to improve the quality of the food, but also to simplify and harmonize the food offerings, as there have previously been different pricing models and preparation methods in schools.

In order to ensure healthy and sustainable catering, the district follows the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE). These standards help promote students' physical and mental development and contribute to the prevention of diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Around 69 percent of students aged 6 to 17 already have access to hot school meals, providing a good basis for the new plans. The dining environment played a crucial role in the social well-being and performance of the students.

The path to a healthy future

The reorganization of school meals represents an important step towards healthy nutrition and sustainable development. With the introduction of the new standards and the cooperation with a nutritionist, the quality of the food in schools will be continuously monitored and further developed. The need for scientifically based recommendations is also taken into account.

Overall, it is clear that the changes in the Main-Taunus district not only have organizational relevance, but also health relevance. The move away from heterogeneous food offerings towards uniform and healthy school meals will certainly have a positive influence on the development of students. Given the importance of a healthy lunch in all-day schools, where many children often rely on this meal, this is a step in the right direction. Efforts to improve school meals could therefore also serve as a model for other regions in Hesse.

For more information and details on tendering for catering services, it is worth taking a look at DTAD. There are also other exciting aspects about the quality of school meals on the [Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture] website (https://www.bmel.de/DE/themen/ernaehrung/gesunde-ernaehrung/kita-und-schule/qualitaetsstandards-schulverpfehrung.html).