GURE PLATERA GURE AUKERA is an imitative that resulted from the current demand in schools, the primary sector and society to change the way in which school canteens are currently managed. In 2000, a new regulation made it compulsory for all public schools in the Basque Country to have their school canteens managed by one single management system. The so-called 'direct management' has actually gradually done away with on-site cooking and been replaced by catering services.
The change in management system has been heart breaking for many school canteens: for no apparent reason, they have lost a great deal of control over what the children in the school eat. Relationships with the local butcher's, market, bakery, fishermen in the local harbour and Baserritarras were suddenly severed. The catering company is in charge of buying the ingredients and the whole process.
This is why many families frequently ask us, ‘what are our children eating?’ The companies that operate in these canteens do, from time to time, inform families on the menus in the school and sometimes include their nutritional value. Although, they are not as transparent, however, when they are asked about the quality of the food and where the food comes from.
We, the collectives that are part of this initiative, call for a healthier, fairer and more local model for our school canteens. We therefore propose changes to school canteens, so that they are a complete and inclusive space and not just a catering 'service'. The changes must be backed up by policies that advocate for the active rural world and ensure that they are incorporated into the sector.
We call for our school canteens to become a pedagogical space again and for our children's diets to be in line with our environment and culture, therefore preventing our meals from being the result of exuberant food miles and avoiding the environmental, social and economical impact they engender.
Bige Gurasoen Elkartea, Calle de Ronda, Bilbao, España Basque Country