Eco-diners in the Canary Islands, education, health and ecology

The Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2023, Pablo Bustinduy, and the Minister of Agriculture, Cattle raising, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay quintero, They visited on Friday, 4 October, he CEIP La Luz, in the Tenerife municipality of The Orotava, to know in detail the operation of the Canary Islands Eco-eaters Program, an initiative promoted by the Canarian executive who, with a decade of experience, has become a reference for other Autonomous Communities such as the Basque Country, Navarra or Valencia for their commitment to healthy eating in schools using organic products.

Since its launch in 2013, Ecocomedores focuses on offering menus made up of organic products, fresh and seasonal in the schools of Canary Islands, encouraging the consumption of local foods and raising awareness in the educational community about the importance of a balanced diet. From the agricultural point of view, The initiative arose to promote organic production on the islands, in such a way that the primary sector and a sustainable rural development model that is based on the local consumption of kilometer zero products that respect the environment are promoted..

During the visit, The minister stated that his department is working on a Royal Decree that guarantees “to every child, girl and adolescent the right to healthy and quality food, regardless of your family's resources or where you were born and, besides, encourage local and seasonal production. In this matter, the program Eco-diners of the Canary Islands It has a long way to go and it must serve as a guide to ensure that the primary sector provides the basis of this sustainable diet.”.

For your part, the counselor Narvay Quintero thanked the member of the Government of Spain for the visit and his interest in “a pioneering project that links healthy eating with the products of our primary sector, kilometer zero, of maximum quality and freshness”. “The success of this program, which has been recognized nationally and internationally, is due to the commitment of producers, families, kitchen and dining room staff, teaching staff and management teams, and constitutes an initiative that already serves as an example for some regions and can be implemented in the rest of the Spanish State”, added.

The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife was also present at the meeting., Rosa Dávila; the mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares; the Deputy Minister of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jose Manuel Cabrera; the director of CEIP La Luz, M.ª Andrea Hernández; the general director of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, José Díaz-Flores Estévez; the director of the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA), Luis Arraez Guadalupe; the general director of Center Administration, Schooling and Complementary Services, David Crego Chaves; and the Inspector General of Education, Felipe Cordero.

The initiative, that arises from the cooperation between the Ministries of Agriculture, Cattle raising, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty and Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports, with the support of Health, It is led by the Canary Islands Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA). Currently, benefits more than 23.000 diners and is articulated around a regional network made up of 105 eco-farmers and 172 participating entities, of which 168 They are educational centers (163 public) and four constitute private non-school initiatives.

Starting this academic year, Ecocomedores will be present in all public schools on the islands with directly managed canteens., as well as those of indirect management that request it. In this sense, All centers participating in Ecocomedores will make optimal consumption of organic products, local and seasonal, in attention to nutritional recommendations and following a scheme that prioritizes, first of all, the local production of each island. The use of fertilizers is not permitted in the production process., pesticides or chemically synthesized food additives, nor genetically modified organisms, and the products must have quality certification and comply with food safety standards for these productions..

The program, which has received recognition at the state level such as the XIX Andrés Núñez de Prado National Awards, It works around a participatory system organized in technical tables in charge of optimizing cooperation between the different sectors involved.: management teams, teaching staff, kitchen and dining room, families and ecofarmers.

So, Work is being done on the organization of the organic subsector to give visibility to organic producers and dignify their work.; organize the offer of this type of products to facilitate access to them at fair prices; and incorporate these foods in school and social health canteens, thus improving the quality of food and the health of diners and promoting knowledge of how consumption directly affects the environment.