Only three out of ten schools offering lunch service have their own kitchen where the food is prepared. The rest depend on third parties: 63.2% use catering services, while 6.6% receive food from other schools, a system that, for all practical purposes, is also catering. Furthermore, the sector is highly concentrated. Five companies control 64% of the cafeterias in the Balearic Islands, and three of them manage 30 or more schools. This dynamic leaves little room for independent cooks and small businesses to make managing a single cafeteria viable. Operating costs are high, and competing on price with large companies—which can benefit from economies of scale and negotiate better with suppliers—becomes an uneven playing field. But a school cafeteria is much more than just cooking and serving food. Schools value those who manage it, as they are integrated into the life of the school, collaborate with the teaching staff, and understand that the cafeteria is an educational space. "When a company runs a single school, the service is of higher quality, and there's a better relationship with the management team, the children, and the teachers," explain sources from the Federation of Families of Mallorca (FAPA).

In the 2025-2026 academic year, a total of 13,194 students in the second cycle of Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Basic Vocational Training, and Transition to Adult Life will receive aid to pay for school meals and food, which represents 1,404 more students than last year. The Regional Secretariat for Educational Development of the Ministry of Education has published the list of beneficiaries, which includes students from both public and private schools that offer compulsory education or the second cycle of Early Childhood Education, according to the Ministry of Education.