Canteens are getting more expensive, but quality is sustainable – public catering faces major challenges

Price pressure and different pricing

Parents faced higher canteen prices nationwide this fall, in some places with increases of up to 50 percent. In all cases, the determination of prices is the prerogative of local governments, so there are significant differences between settlements and institutions. According to KÖZSZÖV’s calculations, there has been an average price increase of 4 percent since January 2025.

Cost sharing and state norms

Public catering is financed from three sources: 55 percent from state support, 23 percent from local government contributions and 22 percent from parental contributions. The state norm for 2025 is 140 billion forints, which also covers wage costs, utilities, developments and social-based payments.

Quality and sustainability

The leaders of KÖZSZÖV emphasized that the current budget frameworks make it possible to ensure adequate quality. At the same time, reducing food waste is a key challenge: according to surveys, 27–40 percent of cooked food ends up as waste, mainly in the case of soups and less popular dishes. The introduction of free-to-eat catering models could significantly reduce waste, by up to 80 percent.

From a sustainability perspective, public catering establishments are required to source 80 percent of their ingredients from short supply chains and local producers. However, increasing the proportion of ingredients from organic farming is currently hampered by limited supply and higher prices.