Many older people who and their relatives complain about the poor quality of the food that inmates receive, with many fried and pre -cooked dishes. The same happens in. In fact, “hospital food” is usually synonymous with tasteless and flavorless. Therefore, after the recent approval, in April, of the Royal Decree of healthy and sustainable school canteens, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 has announced that, together with the Ministry of Health, it will regulate the meals that are served in these centers.
To do this, he has initiated the processing of a royal decree – still without an estimated date of approval – which will regulate in hospitals and day centers. As explained on Thursday, Minister Pablo Bustinduy, the objective of this new regulations will be to guarantee by law that in these centers a healthy and nutritious eating is offered.
In this way, the Ministry follows the wake of the Royal Decree that approved a month ago in the Council of Ministers to regulate meals in educational centers, establishing minimal frequencies in school canteens to ensure the consumption of vegetables, fruits and fish, as well as limit frying, pre -cooked dishes, processed foods and sugary products.
The new Royal Decree will develop the forecasts contained in Law 17/2011, of July 5, on Food Safety and Nutrition, establishing minimum quality and sustainability criteria that guide the hiring, acquisition and supply of products in hospitals and residences feed services.
They are centers of special relevance for the attention they offer to dependent or special needs. Its diet must also be based on healthy and sustainable dietary recommendations for all age groups and adjust to the different relevant contexts.
This new regulation responds to the numerous complaints and improvement proposals expressed by both citizens and social entities, as well as professional groups themselves, about the need to improve food in hospitals and residences.
Although the small print of the future regulation is not yet known, the idea is to follow the wake of which it is indicated that during the next year, at least 45% of the rations that are served have to be seasonal. 5% of the monthly spending that each school dining room will be destined. The standard guarantees that five healthy meals are served a week and destroy the industrial pastries of canteen cans and machinery machines.
The decree, already approved in educational centers, demands to serve between one and three rations of fish a week – more than a thousand centers never do it – a frequency that will mean a notable increase in its consumption nationwide. Centers must offer ethical or religious food alternatives, as was the case with allergies and intolerances.
The standard for students also guarantees a greater intake of legumes, whole grains and proteins of plant origin in public centers, concerted and deprived of early, primary, special, mandatory secondary education, baccalaureate or with which they have a dining service.
According to data from the Spanish Food and Nutrition Security Agency (AESAN), dependent on consumption, 40% of centers breaches the minimum recommended percentage for seasonal and proximity vegetables, and 44% obvious obvious the stipulated recommendation of organic products, to which it is added that the breach of these criteria has risen since 2022.
In addition, 30% program three or more weekly fried rations, while 37% serve only two rations of fresh vegetables in that period, far from government recommendations.
It is expected that in the coming weeks more details of the future decree will be known that will regulate meals for hospitals and senior centers, although the basic lines are already marked by the last approved standard. “It is a social clamor,” defends the Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 ,.
