The Feeding the Future Network called on Wednesday for a guarantee of the right to a healthy lunch for secondary school students in Mallorca, proposing that all schools be required to offer a set lunch menu. Currently, one in four students eats lunch alone, and of the 40 schools, only one has a cafeteria and seven offer a set lunch menu, according to the report. Secondary school cafeterias as lunchtime spaces - Recommendations for transformation into healthy, sustainable and educational spacesThe authors of the study—the Federation of Parents' Associations (FAPA) of Mallorca, the Balearic Islands College of Dietitians-Nutritionists, and the Global Health research group at the University of the Balearic Islands—are calling for the implementation of school cafeterias in secondary schools where the need is identified. According to the study, 92% of students eat at home; one in four eats alone, and 30% of those who eat alone consume pre-cooked meals or sandwiches. Only one secondary school in Mallorca has a school cafeteria, and the six Integrated Primary and Secondary Education Centers (CEIPIESO) and three Secondary Education Institutes (IES) are authorized to allow students to eat at the cafeteria of the school to which they are affiliated. In addition, there are 68 secondary schools with cafeteria service, but only 40% cover lunchtime and most close at 2 pm.

The General Directorate of Public Health, through the Food Safety and Nutrition service of the Balearic Islands, has published recommendations for properly storing holiday meal packets and ensuring food safety.

There are three ways to safely defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or using a microwave. Cooked dishes should be refrigerated as soon as possible and should not be left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. The Ministry of Health, through the Directorate General of Public Health, is disseminating a set of basic recommendations to prevent food poisoning during the Christmas holidays, including how to defrost and store food. Hygiene measures to consider when cooking are also included. Regarding how to defrost food, the Ministry of Health reminds us that there are three safe ways to do so: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or using a microwave. It is recommended to defrost food at refrigerator temperature, in the refrigerator, and always avoid defrosting at room temperature. If defrosting food in cold water, change the water every half hour to ensure it stays cold, avoiding defrosting with hot water. Cooked food can be defrosted in a microwave, but it is not recommended for raw food. During the thawing process, it is important to avoid thawing with hot water, cross-contamination with foods that must be eaten raw, and to place the product in a container with a rack so that it does not mix with the thawing liquid. Generally, once food is thawed, it should be cooked immediately. Furthermore, the Catalan Health Department (Salut) also recommends washing your hands before and several times during food preparation, as well as thoroughly cleaning surfaces and utensils between handling different foods and protecting food in sealed containers. Raw and cooked foods should be kept separate and stored in separate containers to avoid contact. Utensils, such as knives or cutting boards, should be cleaned when cutting different foods, such as raw fish, meat, or vegetables. Cooked foods should be kept on the top shelf of the refrigerator, and raw foods, such as vegetables and meat, on the bottom shelf, also kept separate. Regarding storage, food must be kept at safe temperatures. Cooked dishes should be refrigerated as soon as possible and not left out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. Food should be prepared as close to the date of purchase as possible. Finally, the Catalan Health Department (Salut) recommends choosing healthy, fresh, and well-labeled foods, consuming them before the expiration date, using potable water, washing fruits and vegetables (especially if they will be eaten raw), and buying from establishments with adequate health and safety guarantees.

The Balearic education system concentrates school cafeterias in the hands of a small number of companies, a reality that highlights the inequality in service management and hinders the survival of family-run businesses and independent kitchens. According to recent data from the Ministry of Education, 212 public schools have cafeteria services, which depend primarily on external managers. Three companies—Restaurante Can Arabí, Catering S'Olivera, and Comensales Comedores Escolares—manage 107 schools, more than half the total. Other companies such as Julio Tundidor Molina, Diver Migjorn, and Menudixm also manage several cafeterias, while small businesses have a very small and declining presence, at a time when the prices of food products and raw materials, as well as general costs, are rising, making it extremely difficult to compete with large companies for contracts, as they complain. Only eight companies or self-employed cooks manage a single cafeteria each, highlighting the sector's imbalance. On the other hand, the case of Catering S'Olivera is particularly illustrative of the oligopoly in school food services: it controls 32 of the 38 school cafeterias in Ibiza, that is, 84.2% of the total.

Who would eat a bowl of it in summer? The moment we write and pronounce its name, we start to sweat. However, cold creams are the dish of the season: subtle, refreshing, and capable of using up leftover ingredients from other prepared dishes. Creams are a sustainable resource: you have a piece of leek, an onion, and a pear, you add mineral water and a touch of perfume to highlight the flavors, and you've got one to eat with a spoon. In this sense, chef Carme Ruscalleda suggests cooking four traditional creams, classics of local and international cuisine that will always be relevant and, at the same time, allow for personal experimentation, so that each person can finish it with their own personal touch.