All schools in Spain will be legally obliged to serve fruit and vegetables as part of their lunches and fish at least once a week under new rules aimed at reducing the amount of fried and fatty food served to children.
Hailed by the government as a key plank of the fight against childhood obesity, the rules brought in by royal decree this week will also compel schools to offer vegetarian and vegan meals.
Although Spain is famous for its Mediterranean diet, more than 40% of Spanish children aged six to nine were found by a 2019 study to be over the recommended weight, and 17.3% were classed as obese.
A study from the country's national food agency in 2023 found that 37% of schools were serving only two or fewer portions of fresh vegetables a week and many were serving more than the recommended maximum of two portions of fried food.
Read more at The Guardian