Families from more than 30 schools in Malaga have been fighting for months for a change in their children’s school canteens. They are dissatisfied with the service they receive and argue that the meals are “watered down”, that the amount offered is “scarce” and that the children “go hungry”. For this reason, they continue in the fight to get the catering companies of their schools to change and that install a kitchen on site. A claim for which the Junta de Andalucía itself is committed.
Comedores Dignos held a meeting yesterday with the territorial delegate for Educational Development, Miguel Briones. During it, as this newspaper has learned, the delegate informed them that the current situation “is a consequence of the management of previous governments”since the PP has always supported the kitchens on site, going so far as to describe the implementation of the cold line in the dining rooms of Malaga as “disastrous”. For this reason, Education has now set itself the challenge of reversing this situation so that cooking can be done again in the canteens. Currently in Malaga there are 19 centers with kitchen on site and the Board wants carry out the works in another 10 centers to start the course with this type of service. In addition, there are other 45 centers that have the tender close this way of preparing food.
On the other hand, Education also informed families that due to the rise in the CPI, fuel and energy costs and the increase in the professional minimum wage plans to raise the price of menus in dining rooms by 4.18% until it is close to 5 euros (4.98) for the next course. It is true that the price of the menu has been increasing for two years in a row to adapt to the evolution of costs. It is currently at 4.78 euros.
In relation to the follow-up and control actions of the canteens, the families were informed that are made under protocolized and measurable parameters. Therefore, any deviation is addressed and corrected under the supervision of Evacole technicians. It can also give rise to penalties by the Andalusian Public Agency for Education, which can even lead to the termination of the contracts in the event that there is evidence of breaches of their essential conditions.
For their part, Comedores Dignos pointed out that in relation to the kitchen on site They were informed that it is a long-term measure and that “It can take years for that to happen” and they are looking for a short-term solution.
They also point out that They do not know if finally the catering companies that currently work in the educational centers will continue next year, since until the Board does not make new tenders they will not know what catering will be in each school. In this line, they were not assured, according to the families, when these tenders will be held and if the catering companies with which they are having problems will be taken into account or not.
Regarding the increase in the price of the menu, Comedores Dignos indicated that they are not happy with this measure and once again stressed that what currently interests them is to achieve a short-term measure that improves the quality of school canteens of the educational centers of Malaga. The meetings will continue and next week, both the Educational Development delegation and Decent Canteens will meet with the Association of Companies that provide these services to determine the most urgent measures.
The problems began when we observed that in different educational centers there was a “scarce presence” of dairy products on the menus, according to reports: “The meals were watered down, insufficient portions, cold, ingredients were missing and there was little variety on the menu, among other things,” they maintain. These problems would not only present a catering, but -according to defend- in several.
Thus, more than 30 educational centers came together to fight to improve the quality of service in their children’s school canteens. Some of these centers have also joined the Comedores Dignos platform and are: CEIP Laza Palacio; CEIP Josefina Aldecoa; CEIP Los Jarales; CEIP Ramón del Valle Inclán; CEIP José Calderón; CEIP Our Lady of Grace; CEIP Lex Flavia Malacitana; CEIP Rafael Alberti; CEIP Las Gaviotas; CEIP Chancellor Adelaida de la Calle; CEIP Pablo Ruiz Picasso; CEIP Moreno Villa and CEIP Martiricos.
Comedores Dignos will march through the center of Malaga on April 22
Families from schools that are part of the Comedores Dignos platform will gather in the center of the capital next April 22 to demand a higher quality in the canteens of the educational centers of Malaga. The gathering will begin at 11:30 a.m. and different fathers, mothers, and children who make use of the canteen service at their schools will take to the streets. The march will begin in Calle Larios and will go to the Plaza de la Constitución. Once there, they will stage together a school canteen.