Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S Ministry of Health has rubbished claims that bars and restaurants will be forced to exclude alcoholic drinks from their traditional ‘Menu del Dia’.
The Ministry, along with the country’s 17 regions, are looking though to ask catering establishments to promote healthier eating on their menus via the so-called Mediterranean Diet.
It’s one of the key planks in a national strategy to improve cardiovascular health with heart disease being the main cause of death in Spain.
The Health Ministry says that the proposals ‘establish recommendations for healthy habits and do not contemplate prohibitions of any kind’.
“It is false that drinks such as wine or beer are going to be eliminated from the Menu del Dia,” it added in a statement.
The rumour over an enforced Menu del Dia change surfaced after the news that free tap water will have to be supplied if asked for at restaurants across the country- something that is already done in some regions.
Obesity is a major concern in Spain with over one in five adults classified as clinical obese.
Child obesity levels are the highest in Western Europe, despite the healthy food options that are readily available.
The draft proposals being discussed by the Health Ministry and the regions recommend the promotion of physical activity in schools and the removal of processed food and alcohol from vending machines.
It also targets a reduction in junk food consumption by regulating advertising and balancing the scales by encouraging financial measures to reduce the price of fresh products that make up the Mediterranean diet.
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