Special diets at school: allergies, halal, vegetarian and vegan

Terms used

• Comedor — The comedor is the school canteen that serves lunch to pupils.
• Secretaría — The secretaría is the school office where you hand in forms and ask about administration.
• Tupper — A tupper is a lunchbox of food your child brings from home instead of the canteen meal.
• Consejo escolar — The consejo escolar is the school council of staff, parents and others, which oversees the comedor service.

Key rules

• Allergies: A medical certificate and the signed diet form are normally needed before the school adapts meals for an allergy or intolerance.
• Religious or ethical menus: Pork-free, halal, vegetarian and vegan menus normally need only a written request, not a medical document.
• Availability: Vegan and halal menus depend on your region, school and catering company, and certified halal meat is rarely guaranteed.
• Foreign reports: Translate a foreign report and ask whether the school wants your Spanish paediatrician to endorse it.
• Renewal: Many schools ask for the diet paperwork to be renewed every year.

Rules and forms vary by region, school and catering company, so confirm the menu, paperwork and renewal with your school's secretaría before relying on them.

What school canteens usually offer

Public school canteens (comedores) normally provide menus for food allergies and intolerances, such as gluten (coeliac disease), lactose, egg, nuts and fish. You need a medical certificate to get one. Many also offer a pork-free menu and a vegetarian option.

Vegan and halal menus are less reliable. Whether you get one depends on your region, the school and the catering company. Some regions have rules for religious or ethical menus. Others offer only pork-free or vegetarian alternatives. Strictly halal-certified meat is rarely guaranteed, so ask exactly what the school can supply.

Meals are usually adapted from the standard menu. For very complex cases, such as several allergies at once, the school may limit what it can do and offer a tupper (a lunchbox you bring from home).

What you must give the school

For an allergy or intolerance, the school needs:

• A medical certificate or report from a paediatrician or allergist, stating the diagnosis and the foods to avoid. It usually comes from the public health system, but a private doctor can also issue it.
• The school's or region's diet request form, signed by the parents. Ask at the secretaría (the school office).
• Updated test results, if your child has coeliac disease or a severe allergy.
• An action plan and a signed authorisation for emergency medication, if your child is at risk of anaphylaxis.

Forms and renewal rules are set by each region. Many schools ask you to renew the paperwork every year, so ask when it expires.

Religious or ethical menus

For a pork-free, halal, vegetarian or vegan menu, you normally do not need a medical document. Send a written request, or the school's diet form, to the secretaría or the comedor coordinator. Say which restriction applies. If the school cannot provide a suitable menu, it may let your child bring a tupper. The school council (consejo escolar) oversees the comedor, so you can raise problems there too.

If your child's report is from abroad

There is no single national rule. Schools often accept a clear foreign report that states the diagnosis and the foods to avoid, but many prefer or require that a Spanish doctor, such as your child's paediatrician, endorses it. Translate it into Spanish, or the regional language, if it is in another language. A sworn translation or apostille is normally not needed for school use. The school, its comedor management or the regional health authority decides, so ask the secretaría before you pay for anything.

Do not rely on informal promises

For an allergy, do not count on safe meals until the paperwork is in place and the school has confirmed the menu. Choose the right menu using the decision block below. The checklist covers the steps in order.

Choosing between options

Which special menu should you ask for?

• Allergy or intolerance menu: Your child has a food allergy or intolerance such as gluten, lactose, egg, nuts or fish. You need a medical certificate.

• Pork-free or vegetarian menu: You want a religious or ethical menu. Many schools offer these, and no medical document is normally needed.

• Halal or vegan menu: You need more than pork-free or vegetarian. Your region, school and catering company decide, so ask in writing.

• Tupper from home: No suitable menu exists or the case is too complex for the kitchen. Ask whether the school allows it.

A medical reason needs a medical certificate and the school form. A religious or ethical reason needs only a written request. If the school cannot provide the menu, ask about a tupper.

What proof a school needs for a special diet

• A medical certificate or report from a paediatrician or allergist, usually from the public health system, stating the diagnosis, the foods to avoid and the need for a special diet. This is for allergies and medical diets.

• A foreign medical report is often accepted if it clearly states the diagnosis and the foods to avoid. Many schools prefer or require that a Spanish doctor, such as your child's paediatrician in the public health system, endorses it. Add a translation into Spanish (or the regional language) if the report is in another language.

• For a religious or ethical menu (pork-free, halal, vegetarian or vegan), you normally need no medical document. Send a written request or the school's diet form to the secretaría or the comedor coordinator, stating the restriction. If the school cannot offer a suitable menu, ask whether your child can bring a tupper (packed lunch).

• Ask the secretaría whether the certificate must be renewed each year. Many schools ask for a yearly renewal.

Checklist

• Ask the secretaría for the school's diet request form and have both parents sign it.

• Send a written request to the secretaría or comedor coordinator naming the pork-free, halal, vegetarian or vegan menu you want.

• Ask the school whether you must renew the diet paperwork each year.

What to watch out for

• Meals without paperwork are not safe for allergies: A school will not reliably adapt meals for an allergy or intolerance without a medical report and the signed diet form. Hand in the medical report and signed form to the secretaría before your child starts eating at the comedor.

• A foreign report may be turned down: Some schools want a report from a foreign doctor endorsed by a Spanish doctor, or translated into Spanish. Book your child's Spanish paediatrician to endorse it and translate it before you hand it in.

• Paperwork can expire: Many schools ask for a yearly renewal, and your child's diet could lapse if you miss it. Ask the secretaría when to renew and put the date in your calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Will the comedor guarantee strictly halal meat?

No, strictly halal-certified meat is rarely guaranteed in school comedores. Many schools offer a pork-free menu instead, and some regions have rules for religious menus. Ask the secretaría what your school's catering company can do.

What happens if my child has several allergies at once?

Very complex multi-allergy cases may be limited by the school, which can offer you a tupper (a lunch box you bring from home). Dishes are usually adapted from the standard menu, so ask the comedor coordinator early whether yours can be covered.

Can a vegan menu be requested at a public school?

Sometimes, but vegan menus are less consistent than vegetarian ones and depend on your region, school and catering company. Ask the secretaría in writing, and if no suitable menu exists, ask whether a tupper is allowed.

Who decides if a report from a foreign doctor is accepted?

The school, its comedor management or the regional health authority decides, and there is no single national rule. A translation into Spanish is generally needed, but a sworn translation is normally not. Having your Spanish paediatrician endorse the report makes acceptance easier.