Spain goes back to school to fight obesity, to serve fruits, vegetables and fish to kids in lunches

Spain has waged a battle against obesity right from the developmental years of a child, as its government has made it legally mandatory for all schools to serve students fruits and vegetables every day, and fish every once a week.

In a bid to cut down fried and fatty food served to children, the government of Spain has introduced new rules that have been imposed by a royal decree. Schools will also have to offer vegetarian and vegan meals to their students under the new rules.

Despite Spain’s reputation for its healthy Mediterranean diet, a 2019 study revealed that over 40 per cent of Spanish children between the ages of six and nine exceeded the recommended weight, with 17.3 per cent classified as obese.

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The country’s national food agency has found that 37 per cent of schools were serving only two or fewer portions of fresh vegetables a week in 2023 and were rather giving more than the recommended maximum of two portions of fried food, while 1,200 schools did not serve fish.

Consumer and Social Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy stated that the new law requires at least 45 per cent of fruits and vegetables served to be seasonal and preferably locally sourced, with a minimum of 5 per cent certified as organic.

Apart from this, schools will also no longer be allowed to supply drinks containing more than 5 per cent sugar content ,and limits have also been set for caffeinated drinks.

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Meanwhile, pizzas and pies ordered from outside and not prepared in schools can only be served once a month. The rules also stipulate that any fried food cooked in schools can only be prepared with olive or sunflower oil.

As of 2023, Spain ranked sixth in the EU for obesity, with 20.3 per cent of adults and 15.9 per cent of children classified as obese. However, this marked a 4 per cent decline since 2019.

Socioeconomic status plays a significant role in these figures. Among families earning less than €18,000 (£15,400) annually, 46.7 per cent of children are overweight, compared to 29.2 per cent in households with incomes over €30,000.