The Government to Mandate Healthy Menus in Hospitals and Care Homes by Decree

The Ministries of Social Rights and Health are preparing a royal decree that will set minimum criteria for menus served to patients in hospitals and to the elderly and dependents in care homes across Spain. The regulation, which will be mandatory for all autonomous communities managing these facilities' dining services, aims to ensure users always receive a healthy and nutritious diet.

The Minister of Social Rights, who announced the measure today, stated that it is a basic state regulation following the path of the royal decree on healthy school canteens approved by the Council of Ministers a month ago, which will come into effect nationwide for the next school year. Therefore, it will establish minimum nutritional quality and sustainability criteria to guide the procurement, acquisition, and offering of food and beverages in these centres' food services across all communities.

Although Pablo Bustinduy did not provide further details, he hinted that the new royal decree's content will be quite similar to that of school canteens. The new regulation for educational centres mandates daily servings of vegetables and fruits, increases the frequency of fresh fish and legumes, bans sugary drinks and industrial pastries, and virtually eliminates fried foods, pre-cooked meals, and processed foods.

The Minister justified the need and urgency for the new regulation because hospitals and care homes are centres of special importance due to the care they provide, as they cater to both admitted patients and residents with dependencies or special needs. This fact, he noted, requires that "the nutrition of these individuals is based on dietary recommendations for healthy and sustainable eating, suitable for all age groups and adapted to different contexts."

The Social Rights Minister added that the new regulation also seeks to address a "social outcry" and numerous complaints received from both the public and social entities and professional groups about deficiencies identified in some centres and the general need to improve nutrition in hospitals and care homes.