Spain: The Government ignores scientific evidence and minimizes meat consumption in school menus
ANICE deeply regrets that the necessary balance between the intake of foods of animal and plant origin has not been taken into account, as this is key to ensuring a complete diet, especially during the growth stages.
"We are witnessing the development of a protein transition model toward vegetables, unbalancing and undervaluing the intake of essential nutrients that only meat can provide".
With this reduction in the presence of meat in school menus, following the official gazette, a biased and negative message about meat is being sent, potentially affecting both public perception and the nutritional quality of children's diets. This message is not even mentioned in the press release accompanying the publication of this Royal Decree, highlighting the lack of importance the Ministry gives to one of the most nutritionally complete foods.
ANICE has closely followed the development of the Royal Decree on Healthy and Sustainable School Cafeterias since the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption, and the 2030 Agenda submitted the aforementioned draft legislation for prior public consultation in April 2022. This is intended to improve a proposal that, from its initial versions, poses an obvious nutritional imbalance due to the restrictions imposed on meat and meat products in school cafeterias. Just two months ago, the Association, committed to public health and especially children's health, warned about the enormous importance, from the perspective of health and nutritional quality, of maintaining a proper balance between animal and plant-based foods in school menus.
In this context, ANICE presented its contributions to this Royal Decree, calling for a greater presence of meat in school meals, as a basic element in the physical and cognitive development of children during key stages of growth.
Finally, contrary to the observations and recommendations of the sector, endorsed by the scientific community, and submitted by ANICE during the regulatory process, the Royal Decree approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers and published today in the Official State Gazette, restricts the consumption of red meat to one serving per week and, as a maximum, two servings per month in the case of processed meat, a decision that could cause serious nutritional deficiencies in children and adolescents.
Animal proteins are an irreplaceable source of essential nutrients for the physical and cognitive development of infants and children, especially between 6 and 23 months of age. A role that is even more crucial in resource-limited settings, as they provide high-quality protein, iron, and vitamin B12, nutrients that are difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities from plant-based sources alone.
Numerous studies highlight direct and indirect evidence that vegetarianism may be associated with serious risks to brain and body development in fetuses and children. Regular supplementation with iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 will not mitigate all of these risks. Consequently, it cannot be stated that animal protein-restricted diets are safe for children.
"Our intention has always been to contribute to regulations that ensure the nutritional well-being of children and adolescents, avoiding decisions that could lead to nutritional imbalances or deficiencies. However, the new Royal Decree significantly limits the presence of meat in school menus, sending a negative message about the reputation of meat and its nutritional benefits in society, starting with its foundation: children. Meat is not even mentioned in the press release accompanying the publication of this Royal Decree, and this demonstrates the lack of importance the Ministry gives to one of the most nutritionally complete foods", said Giuseppe Aloisio, Director General of ANICE.
It is important to keep in mind that "what we eat today will influence our future health", emphasizes the director of ANICE.
As currently worded, the text indicates that it seeks to promote a healthy, nutritious, and varied diet regardless of the family's income level. However, the contradiction arises: for many children from low-income families, the only balanced meal they eat each day is the one they eat at school. By removing the essential nutrients provided by meat from these school meals, the complete, varied, and balanced diet of these children could be seriously compromised.
It is evident that countries with the lowest per capita meat consumption have the highest rates of childhood stunting.
ANICE is aligned with and committed to the objectives set forth in this regulatory initiative to ensure a high level of child health protection and promote a healthy diet and lifestyle in the school environment, to contribute to the fight against overweight and obesity in the child population.
However, this Royal Decree raises a clear nutritional imbalance due to the restrictions imposed on meat and meat products in school cafeterias. All the first courses in these menus are plant-based (rice, pasta, legumes, vegetables).
All side dishes are also included (salads, potatoes, vegetables, and legumes again), and when referring to meat portions, they only mention a maximum of three per week (meaning it can be one or none), and if it's red meat, only one. With that amount of vegetable protein, the amount of starch (sugar, in short) provided is clearly excessive.
In this regard, the Association can only express its disappointment and deep concern about the limitations imposed on meat in school meals following the approval of this Royal Decree and the social message it conveys.
ANICE reaffirms its commitment to a balanced, healthy childhood diet based on the best scientific evidence available and will continue working to ensure that decisions regarding food are made with rigor, responsibility, and dialogue with all involved sectors, aligned with the recommendations of nutrition experts.
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