Validación de los menús escolares de acuerdo a los estándares recomendados

Abstract

Background: The changes that are taking place in recent years in western countries have shown an increase in the number of users in the canteens, both in companies and in schools. In this paper school menus are assessed according to the standards established at national and regional level for disease prevention and health improvement.Methods: We analyzed three consecutive menus offered by a catering company of 20 days each, divided into blocks of five days a week simulating intake in the cafeteria for users between 9 and 13 years.Results: The analyzed menus provide an average energy intake of 32.6 % of the daily energy, within the recommended range. Result highlight a large contribution from the protein intake (20.1%) provided by the consumption of dairy, lean meats, fish and eggs. The amounts provided of vitamin C, vitamin A and iron satisfy the estimated average requirements for these nutrients However, those for calcium and vitamin E do not meet the daily requirement and must be complemented with domestic contributions.Conclusions: The school menus analyzed provide an energy intake according to recommendations, but a high contribution from protein intake . The involvement of nutritionists - dietitians in the design and planning of school menus contributes to a better nutrition profile of the offer and enables continuous assessment and improvement of the offer, in addition to its potential contribution to individual counseling and other nutritional information-education activities.