On the way to prepare local, seasonal and ecological foods in children's schools in Pamplona
- The management of the canteens of the 12 children's schools of the City Council has been resumed by the City Council. She has commissioned a report from INTIA to incorporate healthier menus and this work supports local producers to buy organic seasonal foods directly.
In 2017, the City Council took over the 11 canteens of the 12 children’s schools (the exception is the José María Huarte Children’s School, which only offers half-day care without meals). So far the canteens of these 6 children’s schools were run by the company Aibak: Mendillorri, Hello Lokintxuri, West, Beautiful Morning, Asterisk and Hello Sublagaña.
To be healthier, local
The City Council is in the process of incorporating healthier menus, and INTIA (Instituto de Infraestructura y Tecnología de Agroecología de Navarra) has prepared the report presenting the proposal.
This report calls for direct purchases from producers, prioritising local, seasonal and organic products. It proposes specific products that will bring changes to the menus.
Compared to food brought by companies from far away by transport, the new system will bring benefits in terms of health, taste, society, the environment and the local economy.
Small, autonomous and non-profit enterprises throughout the food chain will be able to participate in public procurement through a "contractual reserve" adapted to their size and function.
Basic food as a symbol of change
The report says that staple foods need to regain prominence and quality. That bread, dairy products, oil and potato must be of the highest quality and will be considered as symbols of change.
Hello Pottery and Saint Jean, the best to start changing
The INTIA met with the kitchen staff and management of the 11 children’s schools with dining room and concluded that the most prepared for the pilot test are the Hello Clay-White and Donibane children’s schools. In the first few months, as long as the exact menus are designed, they will continue as they have been until now.
More expensive but viable
In these children’s schools, the menus are divided into four age groups: breastfeeding (from 4 to 10 months), pedestrians (from 11 to 19 months), middle (from 20 to 23 months) and older (from 24 to 31 months).
The INTIA report has revealed the average current cost of each menu and the numbers of what it would cost to include the foods they propose: the menu of lactation professionals is currently 0.762 euros and what they propose would be 1.057 euros.
The pedestrian is currently 0.186 euros and what they propose is 0.319 euros. The average is currently 0.319 euros and what they propose is 0.506 euros. And the biggest one today is 1,073 euros and what they propose is 1,468 euros.
