The Interprofessionals ask that the consumption of meat in school canteens not be regulated in a restrictive and arbitrary manner, due to its nutritional importance during the stages of childhood and adolescence
They insist that incorrect and unverified content on production is being used in textbooks and school materials livestock and meat consumption
May 19, 2023. The Spanish livestock-meat sector, through its six Interprofessional Organizations (ASICI, AVIANZA, INTERCUN, INTEROVIC, INTERPORC AND PROVACUNO), has urged the institutional managers of the Autonomous Communities to promote in schools and educational centers the information and knowledge about the importance of the rural world and the value that livestock plays in it, as well as the fundamental role that the nutrients of meat and other foods of animal origin play in the correct nutrition of the child population and juvenile, and its contribution to proper physical growth and development
cognitive and intellectual
In recent times, some regulatory initiatives on nutrition in the school environment have been appearing, restricting the intake of foods of animal origin, as well as content in textbooks and other school materials that convey incorrect information to students about the production and consumption of food. , with the consequent danger both for food and for the
training and knowledge of Spanish youth.
The FAO itself has recently highlighted the essential role of food of animal origin during key stages of life, such as pregnancy and lactation, childhood and adolescence in its study “Contribution of terrestrial animal source food to healthy diets for better Nutrition and Health Results”¹, which represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of the benefits and risks of consuming foods of animal origin, based on data and evidence from more than 500 scientific articles and 250 regulatory documents.
For this reason, the interprofessional livestock-meat organizations urge the Autonomous Communities, as those responsible for regulatory powers in these matters, to:
- Take into account the importance of not restrictively and arbitrarily regulating meat consumption in school canteens, given the scientific evidence that supports its importance in a complete, varied and balanced diet during childhood and adolescence, integrated into the Mediterranean diet pattern and an active and healthy lifestyle.
- Reformulate textbooks and school materials that include incorrect and unverified content on livestock production and meat consumption, and prevent them from being used as curricular material.
- Promote the approach, knowledge and appreciation of schoolchildren about the Spanish countryside, the reality of rural Spain and the activity of the livestock sector and food production, through resources, didactic material and training and awareness activities in the field educational.
Understanding the rural environment, the challenges it faces and its opportunities, as well as the different activities carried out by the entire agri-food chain, is essential to publicize the work of the livestock sector and the progress that is being made to produce safe, healthy and necessary food for a balanced diet, with sustainable production and marketing systems from a social and economic point of view, and respectful of the environment and animal welfare.
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1. Contribution of terrestrial animal source food to healthy diets for improved nutrition and health outcomes. An evidence
and policy overview on the state of knowledge and gaps https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc3912en