"Meaning: the modes of preparation and delivery of the better quality food formerly available had enhanced co-operation between the schools who shared the tasks. Even more importantly, the school lunch programme had enabled local communities to become more involved in the general life of the school, by dint of taking part in the provision of what tended to be locally grown food ingredients within locally prepared meals."
#GordonCampbell, 2025
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"Bland, repetitive menus, failures in heating, failures in timely delivery, failures to deliver halal meals that are truly halal, endangering children who have known allergies by giving them food that may contain the triggering ingredients, etc etc. It's not as if this new system was sprung on anyone overnight. The private sector, for all its alleged efficiency, had been given eight months notice to get prepared, and get this right."
#GordonCampbell, 2025
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This is what the commercialisation of public services looks like folks.
The school lunch reforms gave Rimmer a prime opportunity to prove that the longstanding failings of "privatization" had been worked out. That commercial businesses really can do a better job, at a lower cost.
Well, the results are in. Even if the public are technically spending less for this garbage service, it's not nearly up to standard.
(3/?)
It's even worse if you consider the *real* trickle-down effect. The way thoughtful policy spends public money into areas of the economy where its in short supply - like the regions - and it trickles down into local economies. Resulting in increased local economic activity, much of which is taxable.
A lot of the money spent on locally-provided schools lunches comes back to the government this way. Making them less expensive than they look. Not so much with a centralised factory approach.
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Then there's the lost opportunities to educate school communities about nutrition, and cooking, and the economics of large scale catering. Creating spaces in which people in those communities who have that knowledge can share it, in the context of a real world demonstration.
Sharing this knowledge helps people stay healthier, reducing our need for healthcare. If you gave out funding from the health budget to replace what's been lost in Rimmer's reforms, would they still be cheaper?
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I look forward to the next government relocalising the school lunch program. Returning the funding, and the control over what their kids eat at school, to local communities.
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@sj_zero you're replying out of context. Read the full thread, and maybe the linked piece.
@dick
> come to canada. school lunches are NOTHING
That's what they were here. Until the last government set up the locally controlled school lunch program Campbell describes.
No doubt David Seymour would have preferred to just cancel the whole thing and let some kids try to learn without lunch. But the school luncj program has been so popular with the public that he knew he couldn't get away with that. So he just made it shit instead.
"Footnote Two. Still, in one sense, David Seymour is providing a valuable life lesson to the younger generation. Kids, if you don’t fight back, some politicians really will try to make you eat shit."
#GordonCampbell, 2025