The government plans to regulate the provision of meals in hospitals and nursing homes to ensure that these facilities provide healthy food options. This will be done through a decree based on regulations approved a month ago. These regulations require all school cafeterias to offer minimum amounts of fruit, vegetables, and fish, and limit the availability of pre-cooked foods, sugary drinks, and processed foods.
The initiative, which involves the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Health, responds to numerous complaints from citizens, social institutions, and professional groups themselves about the need to improve nutrition in hospitals and nursing homes. Sources from the department, headed by Pablo Bustinduy, emphasize that this decree will reform the Food Safety and Nutrition Law and establish minimum standards for nutritional quality and sustainability. The goal is to regulate the contracting, acquisition, and supply of food and beverages in these areas.
Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of facilities that, according to Consumo, are crucial for the care of people in need of care or those with special needs. Their diet should be based on recommendations for a healthy and sustainable diet, adapted for all age groups.
The law is currently still in its early stages. Bustinduy reiterated in an interview with La Sexta that it is being promoted in response to the “social outcry” that arose following the adoption of the decree on school canteens. He calls for regulating food provision in other facilities where the right to nutritious food is not respected.
He explained that they will now “listen to all specialists” before establishing and approving the “guide” that will define the guidelines for nutrition in hospitals and nursing homes in Spain.
New rules for schools from September
In this context, the regulation on school canteens, which will apply to all public, state-subsidized, and private schools starting next school year, will come into force. This affects institutions offering preschool, secondary, high school, and vocational training at primary and middle levels. The document, adopted on April 15, requires schools to serve fruits and vegetables daily, with 45% of them being seasonal. Furthermore, at least 5% of each dining hall’s monthly expenditure must be used to purchase organically produced food.
Furthermore, precooked foods such as pizzas, croquettes, dumplings, or dough are limited to a maximum of one serving per month. The sale of industrially baked goods and sugary drinks in vending machines and cafeterias is also restricted: products containing more than five grams of sugar per packaged serving are prohibited, as are energy drinks.
