A little boy seated at a table in the canteen of the François-Mitterand school, in Montpellier.

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N. Bonzom / Maxele Presse

It was one of the flagship projects of Philippe Saurel (various left), the former mayor of Montpellier: XXL central kitchens, at the General Interest Market, the “Rungis” of the city, to respond to the boom in enrollment in the school canteen.

In fact, 50 years ago, when the current building where students' meals are prepared every day came out of the ground, it only delivered some 5,000 meals in the canteens.

Today, more than 14,000 come out of the oven.

The former municipal team planned to build a tool, by 2022 or 2023, which could simmer up to 25,000 per day, hoping to attract canteens other than those of schools.

"An educational issue"

Michaël Delafosse (PS), the new mayor, has a completely different vision: exit the project of large central kitchens, the city councilor announces that a study had been launched to consider the creation of smaller units.

Each of these kitchens, which could be located near or even in schools, could have its own vegetable garden.

“The model of large central kitchens had legitimacy, at one time, because the stake was that the most children eat in the canteen, explains the elected official.

We are entering a new phase, necessary for a successful ecological and inclusive transition.

Children need to know the rhythm of the seasons, to see the production.

It is an essential educational issue.

Tomorrow, these children will also be consumers.

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"To enhance the work of cooks"

The study should in particular make it possible to identify the land available to set up these structures.

But also knowing who is going to take care of these vegetable gardens: municipal agents, local farmers?

The results should be known in "six to eight months", continues Michaël Delafosse.

The objective is also, for the municipality, to bet on organic products, or "of quality", by promoting the short circuit.

This municipal desire to move towards smaller kitchens is a step in the right direction, for Gwenaël Flanier, member of the association Ramène ta fraise, which works for better nutrition for the young.

"We are totally in agreement with this position," he explains.

As several groups of collective catering chefs indicate, to make "home cooking", there is obviously a size limit, approximately 3,500 meals per day.

Our desire is even to go even further, by planning to install kitchens within schools, which would notably make it possible to stop the transmission of dishes by cold links.

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In other words, children's meals would not be prepared and then cooled before being reheated in the canteens, but served directly hot.

"This would also make it possible to revalue the work of the cooks, who would be, why not, in direct contact with the students, who could promote what their profession is, give back the meaning of what they love, basically: to cook" , continues Gwenaël Flanier.

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  • Languedoc-Roussillon

  • Child

  • school

  • Montpellier

  • Canteen

  • Cooked