Malaga parents stage first school canteen protests over poor food quality: 'Some children come home hungry'

This has confirmed some parents' fears, while others have started to question the food their children receive.

In Malaga province, since the end of last week and the start of this week, there has been a succession of formal complaints lodged with the regional education office, some channelled through Fdapa, the federation of parents' associations, and others sent in a personal capacity by families.

According to information SUR has managed to gather from various schools, most of the complaints centre on the poor quality of the food served, the small portion sizes or unexpected changes to the menus.

On Monday, two schools in the province called the first in-person protest of this academic year over school canteens: CEIP Félix Plaza Ramos and CEIP Jorge Guillén schools, both in Alhaurín el Grande and catered for by Mediterránea. Parents gathered at the end of the school day holding banners with slogans such as 'Quality food for our children'.

In a letter, parents in Alhaurín el Grande report that, following a school year marked by serious shortcomings in the service, "throughout the past month we have suffered an unacceptable deterioration in the daily menus". "The vast majority of children unanimously reject the meals because of their appalling appearance and taste. Some pupils come home every day having eaten nothing or very little and there have even been cases of weight loss," the letter says.

Francisco Rueda said that, at his child's school, the catering company delivers meals only twice a week: on Mondays they bring the meals for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thursdays, those for Thursday and Friday. "The food arrives after prolonged refrigeration or freezing, which drastically reduces its quality and nutritional value," he said.

Parents are calling for the regional government to carry out "unannounced" inspections, for discussions to be held with the staff working in the service, for an investigation to be launched into the contractor and for the school to have its own kitchen.

In the case of the Jorge Guillén school, parents said the problem had been going on since last term, particularly regarding the small portion sizes. "We have no complaints about the supervisors and canteen staff, who do their very best, but we do ask to be allowed to visit once a week or at short notice to see what our children are eating," Juan Manuel said.

Parents from many other schools have sent letters to the department of education and to Fdapa, while others are even collecting signatures. This is the case for families in Cártama, where parents' associations are organising against the service provided by Mediterránea.

"It's a disgrace, the ridiculous amount of food they serve the children. Sometimes the dishes don't smell right, especially the fish. Many parents tell us that the children come home with stomach aches or that they have to feed them again at home because the pupils come home hungry," chair of the parents' association at the Arco Iris school Pilar said.

She also highlighted the lack of supervisors and specialist staff for children with special educational support needs. Many schools in other towns in the province voice similar criticism. The Ximénez de Guzmán primary school in Coín, for example, has been complaining to the education department for several years.

The regional ministry of education has already launched an investigation into Mediterránea following the latest complaints in Cordoba. The company has a statutory period of ten working days to submit reports and statements.

Malaga's education team have confirmed that they have received letters and enquiries from several schools and launched an inspection with the aim of conducting a more thorough investigation. This could lead to a termination of the contract, if the inspection finds any breaches.

The province of Malaga has a network of 340 school canteens, "which offer a balanced, varied and healthy diet", according to the regional government. Although there are still some schools with their own kitchens and staff, most of them use catering companies to manage the service.

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