The food service in schools in the City of Buenos Aires is provided by 23 concessionaires of public bidding, 899/08 since mid-2008 to 2010. According to Article 35 of the bidding terms and conditions, quality control of the food received by local students must be done by the concessionaires.

From this data, the Auditor General of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) produced a report, approved this year, which concluded that the checks provided for in the tender "are not very suitable", and recommends that the Project Management Schools and Services to the Ministry of Education to implement "mechanisms that allow control by opposition in such a sensitive issue, especially considering the consequences of a breach (this service) can carry." In preparing its work, AGCBA visited 32 of the 1,245 schools that receive such service which includes lunch, breakfast or snacks, refreshments and food reinforcement.

In its investigation, the watchdog found, among other things that "the menus for children who need a special diet for medical prescriptions are not prepared." For example, in School No. 7 San Cristobal, a student unable to consume tomato sauce was given a dish containing crushed tomatoes; and another, who suffered from hives for the same food, was served a salad with fresh tomatoes. In this establishment, which receives the food service from the National Food Company, the quantity of dietary supplement for children from 9 months to 3 years of age are not delivered, besides the fact that it is specified in the tender. 

Furthermore, in a school in Devoto, a boy with underweight requiring an extra calorie diet "did not receive the corresponding reinforcement"; in that case, the concessionaire is Treggio SRL. Other shortcomings. The children in kindergarten in Flores "do not eat breakfast or lunch in the school cafeteria," they eat in their classroom, a "reduced space in which there is also one toilet for the 21 students,” states the report.

Of a total of 238 food samples in the schools visited, the audit found "deficit weight per serving 51.9% of the components (plates), and in 48.8% of the ingredients of the preparations." In terms of conservation, the study mentions that of 124 measurements, "adequate cooking temperatures are not reached" was observed in 37 cases. And in every establishment where refreshments were researched, the "absence of bromatological certificates required under bidding terms and conditions regarding the use of meats, cheeses, and raw minced meat" was missing; it is the Argentine Food Code requirements where they must certify that the products are free from Escherichia coli and salmonella.

Swallowing

According to the City Audit "the small children's menu does not include processed or crushed food for different age groups," and exemplifies, that the children’s ages 1-3 years menu "incorporated (products) whose consistency impeded a correct chewing and swallowing (raw carrots, corn beans, and peas). This leads to the decrease in the amount of intake and therefore the amount of nutrients". For completeness, the auditors stated that "the menu for children 9 to 12 months incorporated spherical foods." And, even though the contract requires the providers to use Gluten-free products, the AGCBA found that "the same signs are used" for both boys suffering from this disease and for the healthy.

Tip

The case of Elementary School No. 12 of Barracas deserves a separate paragraph. The audit found that the City received reinforced snacks even though they had paid for full lunches, which are more expensive. The company in question was Servi C SA. The company had no facilities equipped to provide the service. However, the technician clarified that, according to reports by the Department of Projects and Services Schools, "the situation was regularized" by the end of the investigation.

Few Controls

As was indicated in the tender, concessionaires performed checks on the quality of the food they gave schools in Buenos Aires. However, the AGCBA, who reviewed 1,477 of those reports, noted that "the results of the nutrition analysis (except for the 'fit' category) do not conform to the concepts established by the Argentine Food Code." So companies classified their own products as "satisfactory", "acceptable" and, "no signs of pollution" ratings are not provided in the legislation (see box).

Beyond the fact that the bromatological controls are under the provider’s responsibilities, there is an agency that can control the quality of products. It is the Department of Health and Food Safety.

On the work in this area, the audit highlighted the "infrequency of sampling food," and noted that during the period studied; only 5% of the 1,245 schools that receive food were checked. The report also adds that there is no evidence of food samples being taken in 10 of the 23 companies, nor were samples taken at the companies that offer cold storage or in the school cafeterias. 

Public tenders 899/2008 expire at the end of the year and includes the possibility of extension for the school year 2011.