All pre-school and 1st cycle educational establishments in the public network in the municipality of Albufeira are covered by the free meal service, announced the Albufeira Chamber.
The municipality, responsible for this measure, reveals that around 3 thousand meals are served every day in the 17 cafeterias under its responsibility.
The mayor of Albufeira underlines that the free meal service has been in force since January 2021 and “is based on the conviction that access to education must be completely free”.
“The measure is of particular importance, when families are going through enormous economic and financial difficulties, following the pandemic, a problem aggravated due to the current international situation”, stresses the Chamber.
José Carlos Rolo emphasizes that «in addition to supporting the economic sustainability of families, there is also a concern to ensure balanced, complete and varied meals, respecting hygiene and food safety standards».
At the beginning of this school year, the Municipality launched the “Prato Sustentável” program, an initiative aimed at all preschool and 1st cycle students, which consists of implementing a package of sustainability measures. food, which involves the introduction, one day a week, of a plant-based meal for all students, with pulses being the main protein source.
The program also includes practical training to train cooks in the preparation of plant-based meals and workshops for parents and guardians at those levels of education.
In addition to the vegetable option, there is also the possibility of alternative menus, when duly justified, by clinical prescription in case of intolerance or food allergy, or for religious reasons, with a large increase in requests over the years.
«It is urgent to promote healthy eating habits in our children, from a very early age, and the cooperation and collaboration of the entire school community is essential», said the mayor.
For this purpose, in addition to the work carried out in schools, the municipality will very soon start an awareness campaign on healthy eating aimed at parents and guardians so that, in this way, they can correctly complement the food of children at home. .
The mayor takes the opportunity to mention that «Albufeira is, at a national level, the municipality that most bets on the preparation of meals on site, that is, on the premises of the school canteens».
Of the 17 canteens under municipal management, 6 are concessioned to a catering company (EB1 of Vale Carro, EB1/JI of Olhos de Água, EB1,2,3 of Guia and JI of Ferreiras, which, even so, operate under the of local cooking.
Only the Guia and Vale Serves JI use the system of meals transported from the canteens of EB1,2,3 da Guia and JI de Ferreiras, complying with all the hygienic-sanitary conditions required by law.
The Câmara de Albufeira has, for about 14 years, on its staff, a nutritionist responsible for the preparation and validation (in the case of concession canteens) of the menus, tender procedures for the acquisition of food products and verification of the places where they are meals are prepared, ensuring compliance with menus, cooking methods and hygiene and safety conditions.
José Carlos Rolo emphasizes that «the provision of balanced meals that are adequate to the needs of the school population contributes to the improvement of our children's learning capacity and to educational success».
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