In the long list of price increases that French households will have to digest this autumn, there is now the bill for school canteens that are not immune to inflation.
The National Union of Collective Restoration (SNRC), whose companies manage 40% of the country’s canteens, has already obtained from the municipalities (which bill the parents of the students for this service) an increase of 4% for the 2022 academic year- 2023 in as part of the annual contract renegotiations.
More for the sector, cela ne suffira pas à compenser la flambée continua de certains coûts: aliments (les pâtes ont flambé of 40%, le steak haché of 25%), énergie, sans oublier les multiple augmentations du Smic des salariés de la restauracion school.
“The suppliers wrote to us to tell us that the indexation measures planned in the markets were not enough and that it was necessary to implement the theory of unpredictability”, which allows the terms to be renegotiated in the face of an unpredictable economic situation, Philippe Laurent tells France Info. , Vice President of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) and Mayor of Sceaux.
The sector demands at least +7%
The SNRC asks for at least an additional 7%, a new increase that would apply to families in whole or in part between next December and January. New negotiations between the manufacturers (Sodexo, Elior, etc.) and the mayors of France will take place soon.
The manager recalls that the multi-year contracts signed between manufacturers and communities provide review clauses, especially in December-January. “But we have never experienced this unprecedented inflation and the review mechanisms don’t take it into account,” he recalls.
Elected officials listen to these requests but are concerned about their already very limited budgets because it is the municipalities that have the last word, since they are the ones who set the rates that households pay.
They can very well reject these increases without entailing the termination of the contract. “Our companies cannot withdraw from the signed contracts” that have a duration of 3 to 5 years.
Therefore, there is no risk that a service provider will stop delivering meals to schools. “But we can’t work at a loss, so we ask that if a director turns down a raise, we can walk away,” explains Esther Kalonji.
No risk of stopping meal deliveries if a city council rejects the price increase
On the municipalities side, in addition to refusing the increase, the room for maneuver is quite limited: take charge of all or part of this increase (and therefore reduce the budget of other expenditure items), or leave the rates how are they. they are nothing more than increasing local taxes.
In Ajaccio in Corsica and in Libourne, we have chosen not to increase the price families pay for the time being. “In fact, there is a political option, which is not to make families bear this price increase. And so, all of a sudden, we have chosen to absorb it with the city budget”, explains to Europe 1, Thierry Marty, delegate education deputy. from the city of Gironde.
“Some municipalities have already increased the prices charged to families in September. In general, there will be other repercussions in the coming months, ”he confirms for the part of him in FigaroJean-Philippe Dugoin-Clément, Vice President of the Association of Mayors of Île-de-France (Amif) and UDI Mayor of Mennecy.
Another possibility is to request modifications to the offer to reduce the unit price. In fact, the negotiation takes precedence. “We exchange a lot with the municipalities to find solutions”, confirms the Secretary General of the SNRC.
“We are all in the same boat”
This may involve a change in the recipes or in the weight of the portions, respecting the nutritional standards imposed in school canteens. An option that is far from unanimous given the importance of this food for children from fragile homes who sometimes do not eat breakfast.
Especially since the Egalim law plans to impose more quality and/or organic food on children’s plates. Or an additional cost for manufacturers and municipalities. So solutions will still need to be found to absorb the cost of these constraints, “especially with farmers,” she adds.
It should be remembered, however, that the government has provided support measures. The amending budget bill includes specific allocations for local authorities, in particular for the improvement of school canteens.
On the family side, depending on the establishments, partial coverage or a decreasing rate may be applied based on the family quotient established by the Family Allowances Fund (CAF).
In general, in France, the canteen affects approximately 1 in 2 pupils every day, that is, 6 million children and adolescents. Nearly a billion meals are served each year.
Source: BFM TV
