With the legal entitlement to all-day care from the 2026/27 school year, schools and their providers in Germany are facing significant changes. One area that will be affected by this reform is school catering. This is because the expansion of childcare hours will increase the demand for catering services. Digital, cashless solutions for ordering, paying for and billing school meals could be the key to an efficient and future-oriented organization.
Effects of the all-day requirement on school catering
The planned legal entitlement to all-day childcare is to be gradually introduced for all primary school children in Germany from 2026. This means that parents will have the right to take advantage of a childcare place for their children for at least eight hours a day, including school hours. This new regulation will not only mean a comprehensive restructuring of the educational system, but also of the school catering sector, as a much larger proportion of pupils will need a regular hot meal in future.
A study by the German Youth Institute (DJI) has shown that the demand for all-day places will increase sharply when the legal entitlement is introduced, particularly in regions where there is currently only limited availability. For many school authorities, this means that they will not only have to create additional space for serving and eating meals, but also significantly increase the number of meals served each day. In order to achieve this, a professional and efficient organization based on modern technologies is required.
Challenges for the school authorities
Many schools do not have the necessary infrastructure or sufficient staff to cater for a large number of pupils at the same time. This means that either conversions and extensions have to be carried out and additional kitchen and service staff have to be found, which entails high costs and long planning periods. Or the school authorities have to go out to tender to find a reliable caterer who offers high-quality catering at a good price.
In principle, school meals are financed by parents, but with subsidies from various public funds. The introduction of the legal entitlement to all-day care therefore leads to an additional burden on public budgets, which are already under great strain in many places.
In many schools that already offer lunchtime catering, the ordering and billing of meals is not yet (fully) digitalized. This is not only time-consuming, but also prone to errors. With a growing number of children who need to be catered for every day, the requirements for a transparent and efficient billing system are also increasing.
Opportunities through digital, cashless solutions
Digital, cashless systems for ordering, paying and invoicing school meals offer one answer to the challenges ahead. Such systems offer a number of advantages, both for school authorities and for parents and pupils.
- Increased efficiency and time savings
Digital ordering and billing systems enable considerably more efficient management of lunch processes. Parents can conveniently order their children’s meals in advance online or via an app, which makes it easier to organize kitchen processes and reduces food waste. Billing is largely automated, minimizing administrative work and reducing errors. - Flexibility and security
A digital solution offers parents and pupils more flexibility when choosing meals. Parents can often view the menu via an app or online portal and choose from various options with their children. Special dietary requirements, such as allergies or vegetarian or vegan diets, can be taken into account individually.
A cashless system also ensures that pupils no longer have to bring money to school, which increases security and reduces the possibility of misuse. Instead, the credit account of a meal participant is simply topped up via a prepaid system, direct debit or online payment services and the value of the meal is deducted after identification at the checkout, e.g. via a payment chip. - Inclusion
Another key advantage of cashless systems is that children from low-income families can take part in school meals without having to disclose their eligibility for financial support when the meals are served. This is simply stored in the system so that state benefits, such as those from the education and participation package, are automatically taken into account when payment is made. This avoids stigmatizing effects and all children can take part in the meals on an equal footing.
A digital path to the future of school catering
The legal entitlement to all-day care poses considerable organizational challenges for school authorities in Germany, particularly in the area of school catering. Innovative solutions can help. Although the introduction of a cashless payment solution requires investment in the digital infrastructure, in the long term it can not only reduce administrative costs, but also increase the satisfaction of all those involved.
If you would like to find out more about how you can make your canteen fit for the challenges of all-day dining, please contact us.
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