Pedro Sánchez allocates millions of euros to halal food and Muslim-friendly services for illegal immigrants

In the midst of the debate over public spending and immigration management, the Spanish Government has formalized a high-cost contract for the care of migrants, also incorporating specific cultural and religious criteria into the services offered. Through the public company TRAGSA, the Executive awarded a contract of more than 18 million euros for the food-catering service at the Primo de Rivera Reception Center for Immigrants, located in Alcalá de Henares (Community of Madrid).

The award was awarded to the company Boanva Canarias S.L. on February 20, as recorded in the State Procurement Platform and was published by El Debate.

According to the Technical Specifications, the contract aims to “regulate the conditions under which the tender procedure will be carried out and the corresponding contracting of the food supply service - catering for the food supply of the users of the Primo de Rivera reception center for migrants in Alcalá de Henares”. The service includes the preparation, distribution and plating of menus, as well as the collection and cleaning of utensils —plates, glasses and cutlery— and the daily comprehensive cleaning of work surfaces,

including floors and dining facilities.

With regard to nutrition, the specifications establish specific conditions adapted to certain cultural profiles. The provision of a basic menu without pork (Muslim menu) and a basic Muslim diet without meat is contemplated, further specifying that the meat used must be certified according to the halal rite

.

One of the most striking aspects of the contract is the inclusion of extraordinary services during Ramadan, a period in which the schedules and conditions of the service are completely modified. According to the document, “the service will be adapted to the circumstances of this holiday, in which no food or drink is eaten during the day, but which requires a food service at night”.

During this period, the delivery of one fast break pack per user is established, consisting of:

6 units of large dates (120 g)

1 hard-boiled egg

Cocoa shake or fruit juice brik without added sugar (200 ml)

1 piece of artisanal pastries (60 g)

This pack must be distributed

by TRAGSA before dinner or during the night.

In addition, the contract specifies that dinner will always be served at night, once the break of the fast pack has been consumed, at most one hour after sunset, maintaining the usual diet. In parallel, breakfast during Ramadan will be served between 4:00 and 6:00am, which may vary depending on the time of year, and will also include the food corresponding

to lunch.

The adaptations don't end with this holiday. The specifications also provide for special conditions for subsequent celebrations such as Easter and Easter (Feast of the Lamb). In these cases, the lunch menu should include:

An individual dish of typical holiday starters

A main course with meat other than pork (preferably lamb or goat), accompanied by a different side dish than usual A

typical Easter sweet A

carbonated soft drink without alcohol (300 ml)

A piece of bread (80 g)

These conditions reflect detailed planning that adjusts the food service to practices specific cultural characteristics of the users of the center, in a contract financed entirely with public funds

.

The magnitude of the expenditure, together with the level of detail in religious and cultural adaptations, has rekindled the debate about the Executive's priorities in the area of immigration and the destination of state resources.