The money
Budgets are often set per meal and can be very tight. Contracts may be run by public bodies or outsourced to private contractors. Labour is a major cost, and many staff are on modest wages. Nutritional standards and allergen rules add complexity. Procurement processes can prioritise cost over quality.
Numbers that matter
- Cost per meal
- total cost for each meal served
- Uptake rate
- share of eligible people eating
- Nutritional compliance
- meeting set standards
- Food waste
- unused or uneaten food
- Patient or pupil satisfaction
- feedback scores
What keeps owners up
- Tight public budgets
- Nutritional standards and allergen management
- Food inflation on fixed contracts
- Staff recruitment and low pay
- Public scrutiny and media attention
What we talk about
- Feeding people who can't choose
- School meals and child health
- Hospital food and recovery
- Prison kitchens and rehabilitation
- Procurement and the value of food