While the food delivery service is carried out in 1,321 schools of the City of Buenos Aires, the Buenos Aires General Audit (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish) found that the City controlled the quality of the dishes in just 11 schools, representing 0.83% total.

The data is found in a report approved last year, which also points out -as a flaw- that the Bidding Terms and Special Conditions of Service state that the responsibility for these bromatological inspections should fall into the hands of their the concessionaires, "which is not enough to guarantee success (of the initiative), as there is no control by opposing interests," says the research.

Apart from this, the AGCBA analyzed various aspects of the service provided, found in documentation, of the School Service Directorate, the Directorate of Food and Hygiene (both in the City of Buenos Aires) and the schools themselves.

After examining a total sample of 319 meals, 24.8% of the components that make end products and 45.7% of the ingredients had deficiencies. Furthermore, out of 10 tested portions, "inadequate cooking temperatures were seen in 50%" of the cases.

The audit also found that out of 22 lunch services surveyed, 22.7% had "missing one or more ingredients used for its preparation, according to the lists of ingredients from the Bidding Terms and Conditions".

Moreover, the controlling body of the City of Buenos Aires toured some of the schools where the service is provided and listed several shortcomings.

In that sense, in 7 of the 12 schools visited "snacks were delivered without the expiration dates" they also discovered the lack of delivery of food reinforcements in schools and dietary supplements in 100% of the examined establishments where children between the ages of 9 months and 3 years attend.

The Terms
 
Beyond the fact that the Bidding Terms and Conditions leave the bromatological checks in the hands of the companies that provide the service, AGCBA’s report added other observations. For example, "there is a lack of development of variety for the snack service intended for celiac patients."

Another feature of the specifications established is the distribution of the weight of the final dish in age ranges from 4 to 10 years and 11 to 18, "being that within each segment each age has different nutritional requirements”.

When selecting which companies would take the initiative forward, the specifications established a system of awarding points for firms that have had a similar experience in the field. And, extra points are given to the food providers. These features "violate the principle of free competition, competition and equality that should govern public procurement as it benefits those who have provided the service previously and leaving in disadvantage any new suppliers," said the audit, adding that "it is necessary to review this methodology”.

Meanwhile, the report notes that the terms don’t speak of difference in lunch or snack prices for students in kindergarten and primary levels, "even though they do establish variety and different weights for different ages."

The Schools

Another link in the service is the educational establishments. In this sense, and with respect to hygiene practices, the research carried out by the City Watchdog reported that in 16 of the 27 schools visited (56%) had no warnings of washing hands in the food handling areas; in 8 of 26 (31%) no food is kept in refrigerators and / or freezers, without any protection from contamination; and in 10 of 33 (30%) food is kept at inadequate temperatures.

The Hygiene

The AGCBA also stated that "the personnel in charge of food processing takes inadequate hand washing techniques, therefore not complying with the techniques stated in the terms" in 9 of the 26 schools visited.

Numbers

The food processing and table distribution service is intended for students who have received scholarships and authorized personnel of the schools run by the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires.

In matters relating to the management and supervision of the service is the Office of Services of Schools. Among its primary functions, it is in charge of the fines to dealers who do not comply with certain requirements in the specifications of the terms.

During the period analyzed by the Audit, the initiative was carried out in 1,321 schools in the City. The lunch service, meats, and snacks are provided in 1,135 establishments, a total of 165,237 daily rations.

The rest came, first, from production units, which supplied 56 middle schools with 10,562 servings of snacks; and on the other, self-managed cafeterias, which provided 1,305 daily rations of 450 dining and refreshments in nine educational establishments.