Our food is not tasteless, just limited in quantity – School feeding caterer

Naa Humu Boateng, a caterer for the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), has responded to claims about tasteless meals. She insists the real issue is the small portion sizes due to limited funding.

"Our food is not tasteless, but the quantity is small," she said. She explained that they use beans for protein and add vegetables for nutrition.

Boateng spoke on Citi Eyewitness News on May 2. She expressed concern over financial constraints affecting meal preparation. The stipend per child remains inadequate despite promises of an increase.

"The payment was 97 pesewas, then increased to 1 cedi 45 pesewas," she noted. "We heard it might go up to 2 Ghana cedis, but we haven't received it yet."

She questioned how they could cook for about 350 children with only 400 or 500 Ghana cedis. "We cook well, but the quantity is small," she added. "I eat the food myself, so I know it's not tasteless."

Her comments follow the government's decision to terminate all existing caterers under GSFP immediately. An official statement dated May 2 announced that no current caterer would provide meals for the third term of the 2024/2025 academic year. This marks a significant change in the nationwide initiative.