Organic, local… and good food in Montpellier’s school canteens

This Tuesday noon, the CM1 and CM2 students of the Lamartine school in Montpellier waited impatiently to sit down to eat. Every day, the City offers them balanced meals based on organic, local and homemade products. Dishes they like. This Tuesday, parents of students, and the mayor Michaël Delafosse (and us too), even tasted the dishes prepared in the central kitchen.

A menu focused on products “from the earth”, we explain to the children. It will be radishes, mashed potatoes, a back of cod accompanied by a citrus and vanilla sauce before finishing with a piece of AOC Comté cheese and a piece of panet cake. “This sauce is surprising but I like it”says Lila, 11 years old. “At home, we don’t eat a lot of sauce”she says again, happy to discover new flavors at school. “I didn’t know this sauce. It’s good but I like everything anyway”says Aurel, 10 years old. “It’s not always good though”replies his neighbor at the table.

Yes, because it is one of the missions that the City has set itself. _”_Taste education by discovering new flavors”explains Luc Lignon, director of food policy. “It’s organic, a little over 30%, local. For example, empty cod from the Sète fishery. And homemade, in the central kitchen, when you can”he continues.

Parents of students were also invited at this tasting. Frédéric, who has two children educated at the Lamartine school, was “pleasantly surprised”even if he concedes that the mash served “doesn’t taste exactly the same” than his own homemade. “But it’s still not bad at all”he finishes.

Montpellier, more than 15,000 meals are served every day in all nursery and primary schools, for a price, per child, of 11 euros. The City takes part of it. Finally each family pays a maximum of just under 5 euros per meal. A price that drops to 50 cents for the most modest households.