Sustainable and Nutritional Recommendations for the Development of Menus by School Food Services in Spain

Abstract

Background: Recommendations for the development of school menus can promote healthier, more sustainable food systems. In Spain, these recommendations depend on regional governments (Autonomous Communities—CCAAs) that develop their own guides. The objective of this study was to explore the nutritional and sustainability recommendations for the development of menus by school food services in Spain. Methods: Guides were reviewed that were available on the official web pages of the councils of health and education. Twenty-four variables were studied and organized into three categories: characteristics, nutritional recommendations and sustainability. The number of recommendations included in each guide was counted. The weekly frequency of the suggested food provision for each food group was calculated, as was the average, median, standard deviation, confidence interval and interquartile index. Results: Overall, 13 guides were reviewed from different CCAAs. All of them included at least three of the nutritional recommendations, two suggested restrictions in the provision of foods with high quantities of salt and six suggested restrictions in foods with high levels of trans and saturated fats and sugars. All except one guide recommended the weekly provision of foods by food group: protein-rich foods (n = 8), cereals and root vegetables (n = 6), vegetables (n = 5.2) and fruit (n = 4.3). Of the eight criteria for sustainability studied, nine guides included one or none. Conclusions: Guides for the provision of meals at school in Spain promote the incorporation of healthy foods; however, they rarely restrict foods with high levels of fat, salt and sugar, and the promotion of food sustainability is only just beginning. These guides should be reviewed and updated to include recommendations that promote healthy and sustainable food systems.

Integrating Family Farming into School Feeding: A Systematic Review of Challenges and Potential Solutions

“…The supply of biofortified and underutilized foods has also been used as a strategy to promote adequate and healthy nutrition in schools [75,76], especially in low-and middle-income countries. Furthermore, the consumption of locally grown food in schools has been an incentive for building more sustainable food systems [77]. In some Latin American countries, for example, pilot projects known as "Sustainable Schools" are being implemented in school meal programs to include a greater variety of foods from local small farmers [78].…”

Texto para Discussão 2934

“…Nesse contexto, as compras públicas para programas governamentais, entre os quais o de alimentação escolar, surgem como instrumento relevante para identificar e dar preferência a produtos e serviços mais sustentáveis, a exemplo do que ocorre também em outros países (Calderón e Grisa, 2019;Martínez-Milán et al, 2022;Soares, Caballero e Davó-Blanes, 2017). Para tanto, são utilizados processos licitatórios simplificados que consideram não apenas o preço (economicidade), mas também outros critérios, tais como: sustentabilidade ambiental, direitos humanos e trabalhistas e respeito a critérios culturais (Morgan e Sonnino, 2008).…”

“…1 Trata-se do estabelecimento de um patamar mínimo de 30% dos repasses financeiros recebidos pelas Entidades Executoras (EEx) -secretarias estaduais e municipais de educação -para a aquisição de produtos diretamente de agricultores familiares e de suas organizações coletivas. Essa decisão está em consonância com autores que defendem a valorização da agricultura familiar como diretriz de justiça social para a promoção da alimentação adequada, além de favorecer a proteção da agrobiodiversidade (Leão e Recine, 2011;Martinelli e Cavalli, 2019;Martínez-Milán et al, 2022;Silva, 2015).…”