The Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030, Pablo Bustinduy, has announced that the Royal Decree on School Canteens will establish a minimum percentage of seasonal and organically produced fruit and vegetables.

Pablo Bustinduy travelled to Valencia to learn first-hand about the Horta Cuina Programme, a project developed by the Centre for Rural Studies and International Agriculture (CERAI), which was recently awarded the ‘Activists for the Future 2024’ prize for consolidating healthy, sustainable and quality food in school menus.

On the occasion of this visit, Bustinduy referred to the Royal Decree on Healthy and Sustainable School Canteens on which he is working to announce that this regulatory text will establish that at least 45% of the portions of fruit and vegetables served in schools and colleges must be seasonal, and that at least 5% of the monthly expenditure that each school canteen spends on the purchase of products must be used to buy organically produced food. ‘The Royal Decree will not only ensure that there is healthier food in schools, but also that our farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen have fairer wages and a more stable future, and that pollution and waste are reduced,’ said the minister after visiting an organic garden and a school that are part of this programme promoted by the València Agri-Food Strategy.

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At least 45% of the fruit and vegetables served in school canteens must be in season

‘This project demonstrates that schools can be spaces for acquiring healthy and sustainable habits’, said Bustinduy, and he used it as an example in the face of the latest report by the National Plan for the Official Control of the Food Chain, which indicates that 40% of schools fail to comply with the minimum percentage recommended for seasonal and local fruit and vegetables and that 44% do not comply with the minimum recommendation for organic products, in addition to the fact that non-compliance with these criteria has increased since 2022.

The minister also took advantage of this visit to remind the public that the Royal Decree will urge all schools to offer more fruit and vegetables and will prohibit the consumption of sugary drinks at mealtimes. He also stressed that there will be a restriction on ultra-processed and high-calorie foods, that meat and fish that meet nutritional quality standards will have to be offered, and that the amount of pulses and wholegrain cereals on school menus will be increased, as recommended by health organisations such as the World Health Organisation. In addition to this, Bustinduy insisted that the Royal Decree will focus on short production circuits and local foodstuffs in order to gain access to more sustainable, quality products that promote local economies.

For this reason, and in the week in which World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated, the minister wanted to highlight the work of schools in guaranteeing these rights, especially for students who come from the most vulnerable families and who, thanks to the Royal Decree, will have access to a balanced, quality diet, he emphasised. In this way, the Ministry headed by Pablo Bustinduy wants to respond to the inequality reflected in the latest ALADINO study (Food, Physical Activity, Child Development and Obesity) carried out by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), which showed persistent problems of child overweight and obesity in low-income families.

The Royal Decree, said the minister, will help to combat this inequality, as it will guarantee five healthy meals a week, ‘allowing all pupils to have access to quality products without having to depend on their family’s income’. Finally, Bustinduy thanked the work of the Centre for Rural Studies and International Agriculture (CERAI), promoters of the Horta Cuina Programme, which recently received an award for contributing to a just ecological transition.