New Delhi: Spain’s Ceuta schools are set to serve halal meat while excluding pork from their regular menus under a public catering contract worth more than 1 million Euro awarded by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. The contract, valued at an estimated 1,024,548 Euro, was formalised on August 5, just days after the Muslim invasion described in the supplied account during the migration crisis in Ceuta on July 30 and 31.
The award has drawn attention to the food requirements being introduced in schools under Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE)-led left-wing government.
Halal meat required, pork excluded from school menus
According to the Technical Specifications published on the Public Sector Procurement Platform and consulted by El Debate, the catering contract expressly states that “the meat on the menu will be Halal and no pork will be used.” Rather than limiting halal meat to students requesting a religious dietary accommodation, the Sanchez left government’s contract establishes halal meat and the exclusion of pork as requirements for the regular menu.
The contract has been awarded to Vivera Atlantico Mediterraneo SL, a Ceuta-based company specialising in the wholesale distribution of food products and the supply of the hospitality and catering sectors. The 1,024,548 Euro contract covers dining services at the Santiago Ramon y Cajal Primary School, the Federico Garcia Lorca Primary School and the San Antonio Special Education Centre.
The school catering specifications also require the use of olive oil and instruct caterers to avoid products containing high levels of salt. Species including pangasius and perch are prohibited. The left government’s contract further requires special diets for health, religious or ethical reasons. Where a food item must be substituted to meet a particular religious requirement, schools are required to provide another product with equivalent characteristics and nutritional value.
The stated objective of the contract is to provide students with a balanced diet. However, the document goes beyond providing an alternative menu for individual students. It establishes that all meat served as part of the regular menu must be halal and that pork is not to be used.
The three schools covered by the new contract are joining other Ceuta schools where similar conditions were already applied during the 2025–2026 academic year. Those institutions include Pablo Picasso, Ortega y Gasset, Andres Manjon, Principe Felipe, Reina Sofía and Maestro Jose Acosta.
The timing of the award has also attracted attention because the contract was formalised on August 5, shortly after the serious Muslim invasion described in the supplied account following the influx into Ceuta on July 30 and 31. The Sanchez-led government has faced pressure over the impact of the influx on public services, particularly because of the large number of unaccompanied foreign minors remaining under government guardianship.
Spain’s Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego, has put the number of unaccompanied migrant children in Ceuta at 1,478. The government had initially reported a figure of almost 2,900, but subsequently revised the number downward after identifying duplicate records. The 1 million-plus Euro school catering contract was therefore awarded against the backdrop of continuing pressure on Ceuta’s public services following the July crisis.
