Meals on Wheels

Under Meals on Wheels means the regular supply of fully prepared meals up to the front door or even in the customer's home. Meals on Wheels is offered by social institutions, charities, charities and private companies and is especially tailored to the needs of older or vulnerable people who can not prepare their own meals or want.

Meals on Wheels is from the providers often referred to as " meals on wheels ", " Service menu ", " Food Delivery Service " or simply "Catering " means, partly to the association with " old people's food" to avoid. The transitions to the offers of food and conventional delivery services are running.

Service

In addition to ordinary meals for different flavors of the meal plan usually includes also special food such as vegetarian, low salt, easily digestible or lactose-free food, diabetic food or pureed food for clients with difficulty swallowing. Desserts, cakes, dinner and drinks often complete the offer. The meals are usually selected from a plan in advance and agree delivered in a time window every day warm, often even on weekends and holidays. Most can even be short from or umbestellt. Delivery is in thermal reusable containers, either in aluminum or plastic trays or on porcelain dishes. Alternatively, many vendors have frozen food in the range, which is ordered for several days and reheated at home.

Depending on the menu request, providers and service rates are from 2.35 to 10 EUR per usual main meal (2007). Grants may be awarded pursuant to the needy. Apply § 79 SGB XII.

History

The idea for Meals on Wheels originated in the 1940s in the UK. 1947 provided the women of the British charity WVS ( "Women's Voluntary Service " today "Women's Royal Voluntary Service ", WRVS ) in Welwyn Garden City, the first food to elderly and dependent from. In the 1960s, food arrived on wheels to Germany. The Neighborhood House at the Berlin Urbanstraße supplied in July 1961 for the first time 30 Kreuzberg pensioners with hot meals. A meal then cost 20 cents. The idea as many needy as quickly as possible - and therefore on four wheels - to provide them with a warm meal, the chairman of the Krefeld Association for Home Care and Nursing Association, Mrs Magdalene Schwietzke developed at an Executive Board meeting on February 8, 1961 Inspired by the. England already active social service, they developed a plan for " the daily care of old and sick people " ( as it is in the log read ) to ensure, in Krefeld. Because you "warm behavior " of the food did not get the problem of transport in the handle, then the service started on 1 October 1961. A Ford Taunus 17M P2 the first 48 menus " roasted pork with noodles, plus a star soup and jello were " extended with Vanilletunke to old, sick and needy people in Krefeld. The last few meters to the customer was the " lunch pail " in a wicker basket, wrapped up in a Chintzdecke transported. Around 1971, it succeeded Ruth Martin, director of the meals service of the German Red Cross in Berlin Karl Gunbad to enter the Senior Board. To circumvent the problems with delivery in insulated containers, frozen food deliveries were offered in Styrofoam containers with dry ice from him. The portions that can be chosen from an extensive menu plan, then needed only to be warmed up. This type of delivery, which is known as " Rolling lunch " of the DRC, especially solves the supply problem on weekends and holidays.

Today, food is wheeled in Germany available everywhere.

Overview of the market ( Germany )

In 2004, about 2,000 providers shared the market for meals on wheels, of which about 700 private companies and 1,300 providers in social ownership, eg Charities and aid organizations such as the Workers 'Samaritan Federation Germany, workers' welfare, Caritas, Malteser, German Red Cross, etc., which fed a total of about 320,000 people on the move.

Most providers of meals on wheels cooking itself, but deliver purchased ready-made meals from. A TV report from 2003 found four out of five food not cooked fresh. This is not necessarily a disadvantage: on the one hand as a larger menu selection is ready for the customer. On the other frozen meals must be " regenerated" until shortly before delivery ( heated and possibly cooked to an end ) are. So go less vitamins than hours of keeping warm lost.

Manufacturers of these menus are mainly three large over regional suppliers that dominate the German market: The Rheinermark company apetito, which bills itself as the market leader and almost all the major charities and relief organizations among its customers, the Hofmann Menu manufacturer from Boxberg (Baden ) and the menu service GmbH Meyer ( Meyer menu ), based in Bielefeld. Apetito and Hofmann deliver frozen menus, Meyer cooks in major regional cuisines and provides its own vehicles or franchisees from. Besides cooking party services and commercial kitchens, for example, of hospitals and nursing homes, improve their utilization by Meals on Wheels.

Test results

Stiftung Warentest has tested exemplarily 2011 six providers in Berlin and criticized taking too much calories, fat and salt in the food delivered. The microbiological quality of the tested meals, however, was harmless. Overall, only two providers received the mark of " Good ". The sensory evaluation, including flavor and appearance count, was none of the providers 'good'. Differences were primarily in the menu selection and the ordering and delivery service.

Already in 2004, the Stiftung Warentest had complained after a test in Hamburg and Potsdam too much fat, salt and too little carbohydrates. At that time received only a provider of the seven test rating of "good ".

Statistics and taxes

Since 2000, food is detected on wheels in your basket for the consumer price index of the Federal Statistical Office.

The taxation of meals on wheels depends on the service. Following a decision of the Federal the full rate of VAT applies (since 1 January 2007: 19% ) when the service character compared to the pure supply outweighs such by providing reusable plates and delivery to the apartment, otherwise the reduced rate of 7% applies. , unless the provider is not already (like many nonprofits ) is completely exempt from tax.