Our children need a variety of animal proteins to be able to learn in schools.
We welcome the MIDIS measures to improve the transparency and quality of the School Feeding Program (PAE). However, the reduction in the variety of animal protein in the new specifications should generate serious concern among parents, teachers, authorities and throughout the country, for the following reasons:
• The scientific evidence is clear: various animal proteins provide different and essential amino acid profiles to form tissues, strengthen the immune system and sustain the brain functions necessary for learning. In Peru, 4 out of 10 children have anemia; Dispensing with these sources directly affects their academic performance.
• The Ministry of Education must intervene: No educational policy—curriculum reform, teacher training or investment in infrastructure—will work if the student is not physiologically prepared to learn.
• Canned meats are the safest and most efficient option: Not only are they sterilized, but they do not require a cold chain, have a long shelf life and guarantee animal protein where there is no other viable way to ensure it.
• Canned meat contributes to diversifying the school diet: Food monotony violates the dignity of the student, who has the right to a varied diet that respects his or her preferences. Children should not be treated as passive recipients of nutrients. They deserve options that recognize their rights and needs. It is not worthy to expect them to “accept what is there” when there are safe, nutritious and compatible alternatives with the educational objectives of the State.
• Commitment: We are ready to collaborate with a common goal: that every child in Peru receives the necessary nutrients to grow, learn and develop their full potential. In this sense, we reaffirm our willingness to work with MIDIS, the Ministry of Education and other authorities on technical solutions that strengthen the PAE, without compromising the nutrition or well-being of the most vulnerable students.
COORDINATION TABLE OF CANNED MEAT MANUFACTURING COMPANIES
