Perhaps Alberto Chicote is unaware - and no one can blame him for it - that, for almost a decade, the Canary Islands has aspired to have the school menu be entirely made with organic, local and seasonal products, addressing from childhood the ecological restoration, awareness and training of families, management of short marketing channels, creation of consumer groups and a plan for increasing the supply of organic products.
In addition to promoting healthier eating among young people, the ultimate goal is to boost the primary sector of the Islands, organic agriculture and kilometer 0 productions, of maximum quality and freshness, thanks to the firm and determined commitment of farmers, dining staff, families, teachers and management teams who have been involved in this program of Eco School canteens, a project carried out with the invaluable support of the staff of the Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA) - an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Water of the Government of the Canary Islands - and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
I would like Chicote to know that, in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, the legislative framework for school canteens refers to the fact that social reality demands the existence of school canteen services in schools, as an educational service complementary to teaching, compensatory and social within the principles of equality and solidarity.
Through the consumption of organic food in school canteens, we are not only deciding on what we eat, but indirectly, we are doing so on the model of production, distribution and consumption of these products. It implies a high level of social and environmental responsibility, linked to an educational process linked to the knowledge of what we eat, promoting healthy eating, with balanced diets, with foods in whose production no synthetic chemical substances have been used, nor medicines and hormones in animal production.
I do not know what Alberto Chicote has encountered during his visit to our islands and I have no doubt about the rigor and professionalism of the research work carried out by him and his team, but I am sure that he will agree with me that negatively generalizing all the school canteens of our Archipelago for those who do not rigorously do their job, does a disservice to the entire community involved in them, while indirectly devaluing a great work such as the one I describe Eco School canteens intend to carry out.
The purpose of the Eco canteens Program is to promote and enhance the development of ecological agricultural production in the Canary Islands, and for this it works in the organization of the ecological subsector to give visibility to producers and dignify their work, organize the supply of this type of products, and to facilitate consumer access to organic products at fair prices for farmers and consumers, with the purpose of incorporating organic, local and seasonal foods in school and socio-health canteens, thus improving the quality of food and the health of diners and promoting knowledge of what we eat and how this directly affects our environment.
Alfonso J. López Torres
Former General Director
Canarian Institute of Agri-Food Quality (ICCA)
@AlfonsoJLT
