All schools in Spain will be legally obliged to serve fruit and vegetables as part of their lunches and fish at least once a week under new rules aimed at reducing the amount of fried and fatty food served to children.
Hailed by the government as a key plank of the fight against childhood obesity, the rules brought in by royal decree this week will also compel schools to offer vegetarian and vegan meals.
Although Spain is famous for its Mediterranean diet, more than 40% of Spanish children aged six to nine were found by a 2019 study to be over the recommended weight, and 17.3% were classed as obese.
A study from the country’s national food agency in 2023 found that 37% of schools were serving only two or fewer portions of fresh vegetables a week and many were serving more than the recommended maximum of two portions of fried food.
The ministry of consumer affairs said 1,200 schools never served fish.
Pablo Bustinduy, the consumer and social affairs minister, said that under the new law at least 45% of the fruit and vegetables served must be seasonal and, ideally, produced locally, with 5% certified organic.
Schools will no longer be allowed to serve drinks with more than 5% sugar content. Limits have also been set for percentages of caffeine, fats and salt.
Government studies show that 70% of the drinks in school dispensing machines exceed recommended limits of sugar and caffeine.
Pizzas and pies that are not prepared in the school kitchen can only be served once a month and any fried food should be cooked in olive or sunflower oil.
Spain has the sixth-highest rate of obesity in the EU, at 20.3% for adults and 15.9% for children in 2023, although this represented a 4% decrease since 2019.
Social class is a key factor. In families with incomes of less than €18,000 (£15,400) a year, 46.7% of children are overweight, compared with 29.2% in families with incomes in excess of €30,000.
Bustinduy said the law, which applies to all public and private primary and secondary schools, would reduce inequality. From now on, “every day all children and adolescents will have access to healthy and nutritious food, regardless of their family’s income,” he said.
