- After receiving “countless calls, consultations and complaints” about the food offered to children and young people in school canteens, APYMA has conducted a survey. Parents' associations from 96 schools have responded, highlighting the poor quality, quantity and variety of food. Catering has argued the lack of budget and the wager of the AMPAS is that each center has its own kitchen.
Of the 96 centres that participated in the survey, most are Children's and Primary Schools (75) and most work through catering (63). 86% of the centers acknowledged having incidents and complaints related to food with the dining room service. The main criticisms are the poor quality of food (“fruit comes in poor condition; sometimes you have to waste some of the fish by the way you choke it, stick and spoil”), the small amount of meat and fish, and the small amount of fruit and little variety (“most of the time only apples and mandarins are distributed, no other seasonal fruits are offered and include sugary dairy”).
According to the findings of the survey, “unhealthy and inadequate foods (sausages, ketchups…) are introduced for children and especially for children under 5 years of age.” Parents have also denounced the existence of constant and unjustified changes in menus without warning.
The opinion of an association of parents reflects a widespread criticism: “We want to point out that the low variety and quality of the dining room service has worsened in the last season; low quality food, frozen fish, menu changes (always to lower costs), unvaried fruits, scarce quantities, etc.”.
The response received from the Department of Education has been “We are with” in all cases, while companies have argued “lack of budget and price increases”
What do the Department of Education and catering companies say?
Half of the parent associations that participated in the survey, 42, have reported their complaints to the Basque Government or catering companies. Of these 42, only 26 have received a response: the response received from the Department of Education has been “We are with this” in all cases, while companies have argued “lack of budget and price increases”. Despite being aware of the situation, APYMA has denounced the lack of measures, although the regulations state that among the commitments undertaken by catering companies is to resolve as soon as possible the incidents communicated to it.
The existence of a kitchen in the center facilitates the preparation of quality food, as it is not the same to prepare and transport hundreds or thousands of menus in an industrial kitchen that prepare a menu adapted to the diners in the school itself.
“No school, no cooking”
On the other hand, the Association of Fathers and Mothers of Students of Euskal Herria has launched a campaign to “request kitchens in situ in our schools and institutes”. Through the School's Maximum Organ, AMPAs are encouraged to request the center's management, first the Basque Government's Department of Education. To do this, it also offers arguments: it considerably reduces food waste (because the menus can be recalculated daily, according to the students who have gone to school); it makes the menus shortly before serving them; it facilitates the elaboration of fresh, seasonal, local, sustainable and quality foods (because it is not the same to prepare and transport hundreds or thousands of menus in an industrial kitchen to prepare a menu adapted to the students in the school); the kitchen can be a tool.
It is precisely the platform that has interviewed the Murumendi School in Beasain that recently asked for the installation of a kitchen in the school. The Ensure aukera platform: a healthy diet has been the first step towards a kitchen and have chosen to maintain the relationship with local producers and improve quality.