Spanish
The Spanish Government is considering removing ultra-processed foods from the menus of children and adolescents admitted to hospitals, as well as in nursing homes, as announced this Wednesday by the Minister of Social Rights, Consumption and 2030 Agenda, Pablo Bustinduy.
The minister added that this rule -still under development- will also remove ultra-processed foods from children's menus in cafeterias and dining rooms open to the public in these centers.
"The growing consumption of these foods represents a systematic threat to public health, equity, and environmental sustainability," remarked Bustinduy, who believes that this regulation is another step towards ensuring healthy eating in childhood.
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The ultra-processed foods that will be limited, according to the Ministry of Consumption, will be those products of "complex industrial formulation", with additive ingredients and with a high content of saturated fats, sugars or salt, such as certain 'snacks', industrial pastries, sugary drinks or industrial cookies. The minister highlighted that this royal decree, the content of which - he specified - will be known in the coming weeks, is preceded by international studies that identify the "exponential growth" of the presence of ultra-processed foods in diets as a "threat" to global public health. In this regard, he recalled that this year the royal decree on healthy and sustainable school canteens was approved in Spain, which comes into force this school year and guarantees access to five healthy meals a week for all children and adolescents, and therefore limits fried foods, ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks and industrial pastries. The minister, who attended the event 'WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity', also celebrated the reduction of four and a half points in the prevalence of overweight in the child population in Spain, although he stressed that a significant socioeconomic vulnerability gap persists. "Among families with incomes below 18,000 euros gross per year, the prevalence of excess weight is 48%, while for families with incomes of more than 30,000 euros, the percentage is 29%", revealed the minister, who lamented that the environment in which one is born is acting as a "determinant" of the development of children's opportunities.
