Plan part of “Sustainable Food Systems”
Algarve schools are to start including regional products in school meals.
As logical as this may sound, it has not been a policy in the past. Indeed, school canteens in have been more commonly ‘supplied’ by businesses that can be based hundreds of kms from the Algarve.
Not any more! The plan now is to “stimulate alteration in purchasing behaviour, with a view to agilising short commercialisation circuits and healthy eating habits”.
It all boils down to simple ‘common sense’ and care for the local economy.
The new policy adopted by the intermunicipal council of AMAL (the association of Algarve municipalities) in articulation with school ‘agrupamentos’ (groupings) will start seeing delicacies like ‘robalo’ (seabass), ‘cavala’ (mackerel), ‘dourada’ (golden bream) on the menu, as well as sweet potatoes and local fruits.
Suppliers are to be chosen in ‘regimes of quality IGP’ (preference will be given to traditional products), while local producers will (finally) get a look in on what could be a very sustainable form of business.
The new policy is to start right now (with the current academic year that has just begun), and will incorporate what AMAL has described as “the circular economy for food waste”.
