Concept

School canteens in Donostia-San Sebastian

School canteens were charitable institutions that provided free food to needy children throughout the school year.

The initial initiative was philanthropic and was set up in Europe, starting in Germany (1875), England (1879) and France (1880). (1)

In Spain, the first school canteen was founded in Madrid in 1901, and the one in Donostia-San Sebastián in 1909. (2)

Pre-civil war period

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the Basque Country (and by extension Europe) suffered from significant deficiencies in many social areas.

In terms of health, there were high birth and mortality rates, especially in the under-five age group.

This situation led hygienists to begin to develop a new public health.

These changes supported a programme of social regeneration where health and food became a central issue.

It was driven by the regenerationist movement, of growing interest in childhood, hygiene and school health. It served as a stimulus to interest public authorities and collective movements in nutrition (3a).

The school canteens had a notable influence on improving child nutrition.

In the canteens of Bilbao, it was found that, during 1924, school canteen diners gained an average weight of 1.439 kg, 20% more than the average annual gain for schoolchildren as a whole. (4a)

In Donostia-San Sebastián, the first school canteen was opened in 1909 in the Amara school group, as a result of the involvement of Eduardo Vega de Seoane, president of the Municipal Development Commission. (4b)

By 1925 the number of canteens in Donostia-San Sebastián had increased to 6, which for a population of 60,000 inhabitants was a success, and served as a reference for those in Iruña-Pamplona. (5)

The Centres were located in Amara, Ensanche oriental, Viteri-Gros, Antiguo, Peñaflorida, Atocha and rural schools, and attended 1,100 children during the winter months. Donations and the solidarity of the population were fundamental to its maintenance (6).

After this first stage, in which philanthropic initiative was essential for the creation, maintenance and operation of the canteens, they were gradually taken over by the public.

The canteens changed their conception of charitable institutions and in 1931, the Republican Government decided to integrate them into the educational work of the school and decreed that the local councils of first education should create canteens in as many schools as possible and that they should be supported by subsidies from the State and municipalities, in addition to donations, collections and subscriptions. (3b)

In order to ensure that the subsidies reached the greatest possible number, a Central Commission of Colonies, Canteens and School Wardrobes was created in the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, responsible for distributing the budget, regulating the granting of subsidies and inspecting that they fulfilled their "high educational function" (3c). (3c)
 
In 1935, the Ministry resolved that in every national primary school there should be a protective commission and that the primary school inspectors should check not only the investment of funds, but also the feeding programme and the selection of beneficiary pupils (3d).
 
In line with the development of community nutrition, the health supervision of the canteens was entrusted to the home care doctors in cases where there was no district school medical inspector.
 
These initiatives aimed at achieving the public institutionalisation of the canteen model were affected by the civil war, a period during which subsidies were only granted for the organisation and maintenance of basic services, the provision of essential equipment and household goods, and to cover the cost of feeding evacuated children.
 
Post-civil war period
 
School feeding during Franco's regime had a before and after period with the promulgation of the Primary Education Law of 1945.
 
During the early post-war years, there was a significant nutritional deterioration in the population. However, although the State continued to subsidise canteens with varying amounts, the budget allocated decreased in relation to the previous period. (3e)
 
On 17 July 1945, the Primary Education Act was promulgated, and it attempted to reflect the initiatives aimed at protecting children. (3f)
 
It was from this time onwards that the management, coordination and maintenance of canteens or canteens was fully taken over by public initiative.
 
References
 
(1) "Cantinas escolares de Madrid". Magazine of https://pap.es/articulo/13283/cantinas-escolares-de-madrid-a-principios-del-siglo-xx-primeros-inicios-de-la-nutricion-comunitaria
 
(2) Dieta Sana. El Diario Vasco. 2007. 
 
(3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f) Grupo Balmis de Investigación en Salud Comunitaria e Historia de la Ciencia. "Nutrition and public health". University of Alicante. 
 
(4a, 4b) Pedro Gorrotxategi et al. School canteens in San Sebastián. Journal of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics. 
 
(5) On the centenary of the Pamplona school canteens. 
 
(6) School canteens in Donostia-San Sebastián. San Sebastián magazine.