Health closes the central kitchen of Can Arabí and leaves 2,000 daily school menus in the air

PalmaThe closure this Monday of the central kitchen of Can Arabí, a company that manages the largest volume of school canteens in the Balearic Islands (45, many of them catering), has left about 2,000 daily menus in suspense, as ARA Balears has been able to exclusively learn from various sources. The canteens that Can Arabí serves with kitchens at the same center maintain their activity. Given this situation, and with the reasons for the closure still unknown at this time, a contingency plan will be activated this Tuesday that foresees the distribution of meals through three other supplier companies. However, the usual adaptations for students with food intolerances or allergies will not be guaranteed.

Affected families are being informed that, if they deem it appropriate, they can choose to bring food from home for their children or temporarily opt out of the dining service. In some centers, additionally, the service will be reduced to a single dish.

In an email addressed to families and the management teams of educational centers, the Department of Education informs that, “due to reasons external to the Department, punctual adaptations may occur in the planned schedules and menus”. The department assures that “the service is guaranteed and is organized to offer ordinary attention to students, with the maximum normality possible despite the exceptionality of the situation”.

The Department's forecast is that the dining service can be restored normally in the coming days (regardless of the reincorporation of Can Arabí). According to the communication sent to the centers, it is not ruled out that some punctual incident may occur while the extraordinary device remains active.

A precedent

It is not the first time that Can Arabí has been involved in incidents related to the provision of the school canteen service. In March, the company had to abandon the management of the CEIP Es Putxet canteen, in Selva, following a complaint, as the Ministry of Education confirmed at the time. In that case, Health intervened in the situation and facilitated the replacement of the company in this educational center. ARA Balears repeatedly asked the Ministry of Health for the reasons that led to the exclusion of Can Arabí, without receiving a response.

This precedent now joins the closure of central kitchens ordered by the Ministry of Health, a decision that affects thousands of school menus and has forced the Administration to activate an extraordinary plan to ensure the continuity of the service.