Raised food prices make it difficult for many • Chef: “Don’t get the food they need”
In the school kitchen at Hertsöskolan, around 260 lunches are cooked every day. But on Mondays and Fridays, larger amounts of food are served, as the staff noticed that the students seem to have eaten less during the weekends.
– We always have rice, pasta or fried potatoes on the menu on Mondays and Fridays, so that the children can eat as much food as possible. Not all children get the food they need over the weekend. Socio economically, we have a little worse than many other areas, says school kitchen chef Mats Frank.
Free school food is good
Every Monday and Friday, breakfast is also offered in the dining room, an initiative sponsored by a local company.
For many students, it is an important meal, says ninth -grade Mattiewos Ogbatzion.
– It is free here to eat, so it will not be so expensive compared to eating at home or buy something after school. Have I eaten a lot? Yes, I actually have. It’s free and good, he says.
The eighth -grader Melissa Bergstedt also emphasizes the importance of free school food:
– It is very important to eat food, and it has become so expensive. It’s great that it’s free, she says.
Higher prices of food
According to the food companies’ own figures, food prices have risen by over 20 percent in recent years, and in February the increase was 3.9 percent compared to the same month last year. The school kitchen on Hertsön also detects the press when purchasing and budgets is held.
– You can combine what you have in coolers and freezes with less purchases and mix animal and vegetable proteins, says school kitchen chef Mats Frank.
Serving extra food before and after weekends is important, says Mats Frank. He points out how important school food is to children in vulnerable situations, especially when both food and much more have become more expensive.
– I think many families live on very small margins. Then school food becomes even more important, says Mats Frank.