The shocking story of the food provided by Sodexo and served at two local seniors’ residences [“Seniors take stand on meals,” September 28] is notable for the fact that it is not really shocking at all.
After a decade-plus of the provincial Liberal government contracting out of food services in hospitals and government-run seniors’ homes, virtually everyone has either experienced the appalling food or knows someone who has.
How can it possibly come to this? The answer is not difficult to find. Privatization is the rage with pro-business governments, as is their application of a rigid business model to the delivery of critical public services. Political scientist Janice Gross Stein calls it the “cult of efficiency,” where cost-effectiveness trumps honesty, fairness and justice.
A friend with 25 years in long-term care wrote to me about the efficiency obsession and said when food services were in-house, staff were part of the care team, they cared for residents and reported any changes in behaviour or eating habits. My friend also said staff has now been reduced to the point where they barely have enough time to serve the food and clean up.
This awful food may not even be saving us money. There are studies showing that preparing food locally is actually more cost-effective than processed food, much of which is transported hundreds of miles. The problem is that the contract with Sodexo is so secretive we have no way comparing these costs in BC.
There are facilities across Canada that still serve meals prepared from scratch. Kiwanis Garden Manor is one of them. The Kiwanis’ facility has its own chef and kitchen staff and anecdotal evidence suggests the food is very good.
If we want to return to the days of locally prepared food at seniors’ homes, and the local hospital, we need to know where the problem lies. It obviously lies partly with Sodexo, a huge multinational corporation that is ruthless in its cost-cutting pursuit of profits.
But the real problem is with the provincial government and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), who are enablers of corporations such as Sodexo. With an election just months away, there is an opportunity to demand a change from all the political parties. In the meantime, residents of Powell River should demand better.
Sodexo is apparently in damage-control mode and several people close to the situation say the food has improved. But for how long?
A serious barrier to seeking permanent improvements is the passivity of VCH, whose response so far seems aimed at excusing Sodexo. While the current contract is not public, VCH previously reserved the right to cancel contracts as well as “test the market” to see if another corporation could provide better “value.”
Why is VCH not using its powers? You can ask them. By pure coincidence, the VCH board is in Powell River to conduct an open forum from 5-6:30 pm on Thursday, October 27, at Town Centre Hotel.
Murray Dobbin is an author, commentator and community activist.
