New figures from public tenders and official documents reveal a significant difference in the costs of providing food for various population groups in Spain. According to these figures, the daily cost of feeding an undocumented immigrant in a reception center, at 21.04 Euros per day, is many times more than what is spent on a soldier or an elderly person in a nursing home.
The Alarming Cost Comparison: 21.04 Euros for a Migrant, 8.47 Euros for a Soldier, 6.85 Euros for Seniors
According to the tender budget for the Primo de Rivera reception center, the cost of feeding one person amounts to 21.04 Euros per day. In stark contrast, a military officer receives a daily allowance of 8.47 Euros per day for sustenance, while the cost of feeding a resident in a nursing home in the Autonomous Community of Madrid is only 6.85 Euros per day. This discrepancy raises serious questions regarding the prioritization of public expenditures.
Comprehensive Menus and Special Diets in Immigrant Centers
The menus in immigrant centers are extensive and include breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. They offer a variety that includes a first course, a second course with a side dish, bread, dessert, and half a liter of water. In addition, special diets such as Halal, pork-free, diabetic, or low-sodium diets are offered. Snacks can include milk with cocoa, fruit, pastries, cheese, cocoa cream, or jam. Breakfast includes scones, sugar-free juices, fresh fruit, cookies, and hot beverages. All of this is served in approved containers, taking into account intolerances and under the supervision of companies contracted with public funds.
Military and Seniors: Frugality in Comparison
The budget module set by the Ministry of Defense for feeding its soldiers is significantly lower, at 8.47 Euros per day per person, as stated in the Official Gazette of Defense from January 26, 2024. Although this amount may vary in exceptional situations, it forms the basis for the allocation of food to the armed forces.
For elderly individuals in public nursing homes in Madrid, the price for a complete menu – including breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner – is 6.85 Euros per day. This is stated in the resolution that awarded the contract for food supply to five centers to ALESSA Catering Services. Even surcharges for special diets or celebrations only slightly increase the costs here, remaining far behind the expenses for reception facilities.
Debate on Priorities and Budgetary Balance
These data, originating from documents of the Tragsa Group, the Official Gazette of Defense, and regional public tenders, reignite the debate on the prioritization of public spending and the balance of budgetary treatment among vulnerable groups or those essential to the state. The contrast becomes even clearer when one considers that while containment criteria are applied in nursing homes or the army, the immigrant reception system operates with significantly higher standards in terms of food expenditures per person. The public is now demanding transparency and a re-evaluation of these expenditures to ensure a fair and efficient distribution of scarce resources.
