Paris: Free school meals for 17,000 students starting in September

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire confirmed on Friday, June 5, during a visit to the central kitchen in the 17th arrondissement, a long-awaited social measure: starting this September, 000 Parisian students from the most disadvantaged families will no longer pay for school meals. This announcement fulfills one of the key campaign promises of the Socialist candidate. Families with the lowest income brackets, who previously paid either 13 cents or 85 cents depending on their income level, will now be completely exempt from the cost of school meals.

A freeze on prices for everyone else

This decision is accompanied by a freeze on prices for all other Parisian families. The city council hopes to limit the impact of inflation on household budgets while maintaining the progressive nature of the current billing system. The measure aims to preserve the purchasing power of the middle class without calling into question the principle of income-based contributions that underpins school meal pricing in the capital.

This reform represents a significant financial commitment for the municipality. It is part of a policy to support low-income families, which the Parisian majority presents as a budgetary priority. The precise implementation details and the exact cost of the measure were not specified at the time of the announcement, but implementation is scheduled to coincide with the start of the school year in September.