Mid last month, the Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduyannounced that, at least, a 45% of the fruit and vegetables that are served on school canteens must be seasonal And, if possible, from local production.
This was advanced during his trip to Valencia to learn the Horta Cuina program from first -hand, a project developed by the Center for Rural Studies and International Agriculture (CERAI) that the ‘activists for the 2024’ Award had received Consolidate healthy, sustainable and quality eating In the menus of the centers School
He announced that the royal decree of dining rooms School Healthy and sustainable in which I was working, I would bet on giving the School A healthy and nutritious food consisting of five weekly meals that meet certain criteria and provide them with the necessary calories according to their age.
Five healthy meals every week
The Council of Ministers recently has the Royal Decree of Healthy and Sustainable School CanteensA text presented by Pablo Bustinduy and prepared by the ministry that he directs (social rights, consumption and agenda 2030) with four ministries such as fellow owners (education, professional training and sports; agriculture, fish and food; health and youth).
While Bustinduy stood out, during the press conference in the Moncloa Palace after the Council of Ministers, this new regulation goes Guarantee that five healthy meals are served at all schools a week.
This is: Public, joint and private centers teach that training for early childhood (2nd cycle), primary education, special education, mandatory secondary education, baccalaureate or primary or medium-sized diploma vocational training cycles.
In this way, the minister explained, the Royal Decree will ensure that All children and adolescents in our country have access to a healthy, nutritious and varied food every day In the dining rooms schools, Regardless of the income level of their families.
This last point is important, has underlined Bustinduy, since he, as he said, School Dining Room is a fundamental tool to reduce inequality And guarantee the right of all children to a quality diet, as well as to acquire healthy food habits for the rest of their lives.
About this problem, The minister reminded one of the data that the Last Aladino study: Half of the students and students (46.7% of between 6 and 9 years old) of families with income with income under 18,000 euros per year have surplus children of children.
This is because, as indicated by this study, They can no longer pay for fresh food, such as fruit and vegetablesNeither make complete breakfast. This decree will therefore be aimed at the dining rooms School Ensure that students have access to healthy food on equal conditions.
Healthy, local and everyone
The Royal Decree indicates that All schools with a dining room must guarantee students a daily consumption of fresh fruit and vegetablesSpecify that at least 45% of the served fruit and fruit is seasonal, to promote healthier and more sustainable eating models and at the same time strengthen local production.
This is a remarkable task, said Minister Bustinduy, because he has a Advantage for Spanish farmers and cattle farmers in a difficult context As the current, due to the international tariff war initiated by the United States.
The minister also explained that They have tried the benefits of this proposal in various experiences that are already going with great success In various parts of the country, such as the Ecocomber project on the Canary Islands or the Horta Cuina project in the Valencian community.
Bustinduy has been able to know these projects in recent months to visit some dining rooms School that are part of these initiatives. Along these lines, the minister also emphasized that De Standaard indicates that at least two dishes per month or 5% of the costs are assigned to ecological production.
Similarly, Bustinduy has set the focus on which the Royal Decree guarantees greater consumption of fish, legumes and integral grains in dining rooms at school. To do this, De Standaard Weekly Draws Based on the recommendations of scientific and health organisms such as Aesan (Spanish Food and Nutrition Security Agency) or WHO (World Health Organization).
With this basis, De Standaard determines to serve between one and three rations per week, a frequency that means a remarkable increase in national fish consumption, because according to the estimates of consumption there are 1,200 school canteens in Spain in which fish are never served (based on the results report data of the national plan for official control over the food chain 2021-2025).
In the same way, the Consumption of legumes because of the high nutritional value and the health benefits it has riggedEncouraging his presence in the menus, either in the first or second course or as a garrison.
Currently, according to the data offered by the autonomous communities themselves, up to 14% of the centers School Do not serve legumes at least once a week. In the case of grains, the Royal Decree stipulates that at least one ration of rice or extensive pasta is offered, in addition to different wholemeal bread.
No more industrial pastries added
Another excellent point of Royal Decree has called Bustnduy, is that It will not be allowed to serve sugary drinks at the schools of the schoolsNeither do they sell on vending machines or in the coffee shops in these centers.
They also go in this line Eliminate energy drinks and sugary food (The so -driven industrial pastry) that are marketed in these vending machines and coffee shops. In particular, products that exceed a maximum content of 5 grams of sugars per packaged portion and that do not meet the criteria recommended by organisms such as WHO limites for the intake of fats, sugars and salt are not sold: sugars and salt:
- He Energy value per packaged part may not exceed 200 kilocalories. This is related to the recommendation to divide the necessary energy during the day: 25% for breakfast (or 15% if it is a light breakfast and is a supplement to 10% in lunch), 35% in the afternoon, 10% in the snack and the remaining 30% during dinner. Therefore, and given the fact that students from 4 to 16 years of age have energy needs of 2,000 kilocalories daily, the lunch offer of middle mons and snack does not have to offer more than 10% of the total daily energy; That is, 200 kilocalories to the maximum.
- Kilocalories that result from fat cannot exceed 35%. This means that the maximum fat content will be 7.8 grams in part that is no longer than 200 kilocalories.
- In the case of Saturated fats, kilocalories with this origin cannot exceed 10%. That is, they must have a maximum of 2.2 grams of saturated fats limited to 200 kilocalories.
- For the Added or free sugars, the same percentage, 10% maximum Of the kilocalories with this origin, which means a maximum of 5 grams of added sugars for part of 200 kilocalories.
- And with regard to the Salt, the maximum must be 0.5 grams (0.2 grams of sodium) For the aforementioned part of 200 kilocalories.
Currently, as detailed by the aforementioned report of the National Plan for official control over the food chain, almost the 70% of the vending machines in schools have violated the nutritional criteria They were recommended, while under the coffee shops in these centers the infringement is even greater, which affects 74% of them.
Baked and pre -cooked once a month
Minister Bustinduy has also emphasized that this Royal Decree will limit the pre -cooked dishes to just one ration per month. This means that Meals such as pizzas, empanadillas or fried foods that are pre -cooked can only be served once a month.
On the other hand, fried food is made on the day (which do not come from pre -cooked products) can be served once a week, indicating that to work out this fried food Preferably olive oil or oily sunflower oil.