Compass Group has named its new provider of Meals on Wheels, a service it is overhauling after a difficult start.
Frozen Fresh, of Tauranga, will replace airline food company LSG Sky Chefs, of Auckland. Compass Group confirmed the overhaul late last month, but at that time did not disclose the new provider. In Otago and Southland the change takes effect on November 28.
National development and innovation manager Lauren Scott said Frozen Fresh had a strong track record and Compass was "proud to be partnering" with the company.
"We have listened to the suggestions from recipients, and have worked hard on developing an improved new menu that incorporates this feedback.
"We are pleased the meals have been received well at the SDHB tastings, and we welcome further feedback as the new meals begin to be served later this month," Ms Scott said.
Real Meals Coalition spokeswoman Anna Huffstutler, of Unions Southland, said there was no guarantee the new meals would be an improvement.
"We’ve been told before that meals were going to be great, and it turned out that they weren’t."
The coalition has requested a meeting with Compass and the Southern District Health Board on November 24 to discuss Meals on Wheels and wider issues relating to the 15-year SDHB food service contract. Ms Huffstutler said the public still did not know how much money the SDHB would save by contracting out its food service. The Meals on Wheels, trucked to the South since January, were unpopular and caused a public outcry.
There are now just 69 Dunedin recipients, compared with 210 when the frozen meals were introduced.
