The Democratic Federation of Parents' Associations for Public Education in Málaga (Fdapa) has recently received numerous emails and messages from schools in the province complaining about the canteen service. Families are focusing on the quality of the products and the scarcity of portions.
The Democratic Federation of Parents' Associations for Public Education in Málaga (Fdapa) has received multiple emails and messages from schools in the province requesting information about their school canteens and reflecting complaints about the service. The federation will collect and channel these criticisms to the Territorial Delegation of Education in Málaga, as reported by Diario Sur.
The trigger for this wave of inquiries has been the recent incidents detected in Andalusia: in Córdoba, an informational file has been opened against the company Mediterránea following the release of a video showing a portion of ratatouille, and in a school in Granada, worm larvae were found in the rice. In the province of Málaga, no serious incidents like those mentioned have been detected this term, but most of the families' criticisms focus on the quality of the products and the scarcity of portions.
"It is common for us to receive complaints about the canteens throughout the year, but this year it has been at the beginning and after the video of the incident in Córdoba," explains Pilar Trigueros from Fdapa. Trigueros acknowledges that there is concern among families.
The federation's representative Lupe Montejo points to the traceability and origin of the food as one of the reasons for discontent: "There are many complaints regarding the traceability and origin of the food. For example, serving oranges from Egypt in the canteen because it is not the season here; it would be logical to serve another local fruit instead of something that was harvested weeks ago." Montejo adds another frequent concern: "Or that the food arriving at the centre on a Tuesday can be served several days later. Even if all hygiene and preservation measures are met, it is not the same."
More than 300 public educational centres in the province of Málaga provide the school canteen service for approximately 50,000 students. Although there are still centres with self-managed canteens, with kitchen staff hired by the Administration, most services depend on catering companies that provide the food and staff. The Junta de Andalucía awards the service through public tender to companies that typically bid for lots of schools.
The public price that families pay for the canteen service is 5.54 euros per day, although there are discounts available. The Food Offer Evaluation Programme in School Centres of Andalusia (Evacole) from the Junta ensures that all menus meet the required quality standards, promote healthy eating, and control the entire process. Compliance is mandatory, but just because the requirements are respected does not mean that students or families are satisfied with the service.
Parents' Associations have a questionnaire that they periodically have to fill out alongside the school management to evaluate the canteen service. Additionally, parents can request through the associations to visit the school canteens in person to see what is served in the menus. In cases where the quality standards set by the Evacole programme are not met, the Junta has the authority to impose fines on the companies and, ultimately, terminate contracts.
For its part, the consumer association FACUA Andalucía has called on the Junta de Andalucía to review the concession of the school canteen service to Mediterránea de Catering after becoming aware of new irregularities in menus served in three educational centres in the province of Córdoba. The federation believes that the seriousness of the events goes beyond a one-time poor service, as there are constant complaints from parents of different schools across the region regarding the menus served by Mediterránea de Catering.
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