The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports awarded a contract for more than one million euros for the cafeteria service of several public schools in Ceuta, whose specifications expressly state that the meat included in the menus must be halal and that pork cannot be used.
The contract, formalized on August 5, has an estimated value of 1,024,548 euros and was awarded to Vivera Atlántico Mediterráneo S.L., a Ceuta-based company dedicated to the wholesale distribution of food and supply for hospitality establishments and communities. The document also establishes other requirements for school menus, such as the use of olive oil and the exclusion of certain fish.
The specifications establish halal meat for all menus
The document establishes halal meat for all menus
According to the Technical Specifications, the requirement is not limited to offering an alternative to students who request a specific diet for religious reasons. The document states that “the meat in the menu will be Halal and pork will not be used”, so these conditions are part of the regular menu of the establishments included in the contract.
The agreement also contemplates the possibility of offering special diets for health, religious, or ethical reasons. When it is necessary to replace a food for religious reasons, the centers must substitute it with another that maintains equivalent characteristics and nutritional values.
The measure currently applies to CEIP Santiago Ramón y Cajal, CEIP Federico García Lorca, and CEE San Antonio. Other schools in the city had already implemented similar conditions during the 2025-2026 school year, including Pablo Picasso, Ortega y Gasset, Andrés Manjón, Príncipe Felipe, Reina Sofía, and Maestro José Acosta.
The contract was formalized a few days after the migration crisis recorded in Ceuta at the end of July, in a context marked by pressure on the city's public services and the presence of a high number of foreign minors under the care of the administrations. According to figures cited by the Minister of Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, there are currently 1,478 immigrant minors in Ceuta, after the Government revised down an initial figure close to 2,900 after detecting duplications in the files.
