Increase in prices for junk food - parents aspire for nutritious meals for their kids
In the heart of Klingenstadt, a shift in the provision of kindergarten lunches is on the horizon. Fourteen daycare centres will experience a change, effective from the end of March 2026.
Rüdiger Mann, head of the kindergarten department, acknowledges the challenges that come with this transition. He admits that maintaining the previous hospital's unusually cheap offer is not feasible on the market. The city, however, promises a seamless transition but warns of significantly higher costs.
The uncertainty for parents lies in what their children's future meals will be and at what price. Parents of the affected kindergartens express concerns about the quality and affordability of the new food. One parent emphasises the importance of the children being full and the food tasting good, while also expressing concern about affordability. Another parent voices similar sentiments, expressing apprehension about the potential increase in cost for the new catering service.
The cost of the new food remains a significant concern for many families. Rüdiger Mann, in acknowledging these concerns, stresses that catering is a sensitive issue, as it concerns the health and well-being of children. He assures that the new system promises more vitamins and better taste, as meals will be prepared fresh, chilled, and then reheated in the kindergarten instead of being cooked early and kept warm for hours.
To create transparency, the city has involved the youth welfare office parents' council and the parents' representatives of the affected kindergartens in the tendering process. However, the supplier responsible for the supply of the 14 affected daycare centres starting in 2026 is not explicitly named in the provided search results.
Five kindergartens will continue to cook food on-site, unlike the remaining 14. This decision, while providing some relief to those families, does little to alleviate the concerns about the quality and cost of the food for the majority of affected families.
As the decision on the new provider of kindergarten lunches is slated for next year, parents eagerly await further information and assurances about the quality and affordability of their children's meals. All families expect their children to be able to eat healthily without the kindergarten lunch becoming a luxury.
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