There is a national raw data, which speaks of a spending between 84 and 85 euros per month for each family with at least one dependent minor child. And then there is a number – expressed as a percentage – which concerns exclusively Friuli Venezia Giulia. And unfortunately in this second case it is not good news. Guarantee school meals for your childrenin fact, it has become an increasingly expensive operation. And for the families of Friuli Venezia Giulia she is yet another blow caused by the high cost of living. Price increases that follow on the heels of those that have affected other economic sectors and aspects of daily life. Those that concern our region, in fact, are some of the largest increases in the entire country. With some exceptions which we will see in detail.
The service managed by the Municipalities
The school canteen servicewhich is generally offered up to middle school, it is the responsibility of the Municipalities. It is the Municipalities that have to foresee the expense and organization of meals, not the Region. And these are budget chapters that often weigh heavily on the coffers of local authorities. Well, according to the photograph taken by the seventh survey of “Cittadinanzattiva”, in Friuli Venezia Giulia the cost of school canteens in the 2023-2024 year increased by 5.9 percent. Only Calabria, Lombardy, Molise, Puglia and Liguria recorded higher increases.
The costs of school canteens in Friuli Venezia Giulia
In detail, in Friuli Venezia Giulia the figures range from 78 euros, in the case of nursery schools, to 86, for primary schools. In Fvg, in particular, they range from 2.95 euros per meal in the institutions of Gorizia to 5.50 euros in Udine, in the case of nursery schools, and from 3.65 euros in Pordenone to 5.95 euros in Udine for primary school. There are currently 354 school canteens in the region; with Pnrr funds, interventions are planned for 9 canteens (5.6 million investments). Among these, four will be built from scratch. The most expensive region on average is Basilicata (109 euros per month), followed by Emilia Romagna (107 euros) and Liguria (103 euros). The cheapest region, however, is Sardinia (61 euros in childhood and 65 for primary school), slightly preceded by Umbria (67 euros). The increase in the cost of school canteens compared to the previous survey – referring to 2022/23 – was over 3%.
The situation in Pordenone
The picture, however, is not all gloomy. As we have seen, in fact, in Pordenone you can find the least expensive school canteens in all of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The analysis in this case is obviously limited to provincial capital municipalities. With 3.65 euros per meal, families are almost “privileged” on the banks of the Noncello. But it is not a coincidence nor an effect of the invisible hand of the market. In this case, in fact, the price is the result of a precise policy set and followed over time by the administration led by the mayor Alessandro Ciriani.
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The choice
«In Pordenone – explained the deputy mayor Alberto Parigi yesterday – the rates of all school services (canteen, school bus, before and after school, after school, green points) have been blocked for several years. It is certainly a demanding choice for the budget, but it was a political decision to help families.” On the podium of the most expensive cities, however, Turin reconfirms its record of recent years, followed by Modena, Trapani and Livorno. «For years we have been asking that school catering become an essential public service, and among the recommendations also included in the «National Action Plan for the implementation of the childhood guarantee» is that of gradually making school meals free for everyone, starting from children and by girls living in families in absolute poverty. A condition that unfortunately affects more and more minors: 4.9% of children under 16 are food deprived and 2.5% cannot afford a protein meal a day”, declares Adriana Bizzarri, national coordinator of the Cittadinanzattiva School .
