Salt, sugar, and fat limits in public dining halls and residences

The Council of Ministers approved on November 3, and the BOE published on Friday, November 6, Royal Decree 950/2026, of November 4, which establishes criteria to promote healthy and sustainable eating in publicly owned centers and in private centers for people in situations of dependency. The regulation, which occupies page 149190 of section I of bulletin number 277, sets nutrient thresholds and maximum consumption frequencies in dining halls, cafeterias, hospitals, and residences. The text arrives with a twelve-month grace period: it will enter into force on November 6, 2027.

The threshold that separates a healthy food from an ultra-processed one

The decree is based on articles 41 and 42 of Law 17/2011, of July 5, on food safety and nutrition, and on Law 9/2017 on public sector contracts. Its annex sets the limits beyond which a food is considered to have a high content of salt, saturated fats, or added sugars:

• Solid foods: 300 kcal/100 g of energy, 13.5 g/100 g of sugars, 3 g/100 g of saturated fatty acids, and 0.9 g/100 g of salt.
• Beverages: 150 kcal/100 ml, 6.75 g/100 ml of sugars, 1.5 g/100 ml of saturated fats, and 0.45 g/100 ml of salt.

The thresholds only apply when those nutrients have been added to the food, meaning products that contain them naturally, such as olive oil, milk, or certain cheeses, are excluded. The decree also excludes meals prepared entirely within the center itself.

Menus with fixed frequencies and conditioned public procurement

Procurement specifications must incorporate minimum purchasing and programming requirements. At least 90% of fruit portions and 30% of vegetable portions shall be fresh and seasonal; 10% of fruits and vegetables will arrive via short distribution channels, and 25% of the acquisition cost will correspond to organic production, a percentage that will be 10% during the first four years.

In centers that serve a single main meal, the weekly programming is limited:

• Fried foods: maximum of two portions per week.
• Cereals: at least 50% of the weekly offer, in whole-grain varieties.
• Fish: two weekly portions as a main course, alternating between white and blue fish.
• Meat: maximum of two weekly portions, with only one portion of red meat and two of processed meat per month.
• Eggs: maximum of two portions per week.
• Foods above the annex thresholds: one weekly portion maximum.
• Pre-cooked foods: one portion per month.

In residences and full-board regimes, the frequencies are expanded: three daily portions of vegetables, two to three of fruit, three to six of cereals, at least four portions of legumes per week, and three of fish.

Nutritional screening and diet rotation in hospitals

Chapter III mandates that public health and socio-sanitary centers conduct nutritional screening for every admitted or resident person at the time of admission and, in any case, within the first 24-48 hours, with individualized nutritional care plans and follow-up upon discharge. Basic diets shall have a minimum rotation of 14 days in hospitals and 28 days in residences, and free drinking water shall be guaranteed as the primary beverage. Meals shall be served in a quiet environment, with protected schedules and an intake window of at least twelve hours.

Free water, vending machines, and warnings regarding schools

Cafeterias must offer free water, and at least 70% of their references must be fresh foods, whole grains, legumes, fish, eggs, or dairy products without added sugars. In vending machines, the same 70% of space shall be reserved for healthy products, located in the central rows of highest visibility, and added sugar in hot drinks shall be 0 g by default and a maximum of 5 g as an optional choice.

The decree expressly excludes school cafeterias, which continue to be governed by Royal Decree 315/2025, of April 15. However, its first final provision modifies that regulation to extend its scope to the first cycle of Early Childhood Education, prohibit salt in meals for children under twelve months, require white rice until age three, and regulate breastfeeding spaces. Cafeterias of diplomatic missions, Navy vessels, and military installations are excluded, and procurement files already initiated will not be affected. Non-compliance with articles 5.5, 18.1, and 18.2 and the criteria applicable to private entities will initiate sanctioning proceedings in accordance with article 50.2.d) of Law 17/2011.

The impact reaches schools, hospitals, elderly care homes, and all collective catering that contracts with the public sector. AESAN will be responsible for approving, on a case-by-case basis, the adaptations requested by the contracting authorities, upon the proposal of its Institutional Commission. The preamble itself justifies the urgency: according to the 2023 Spain Health Survey, 57.7% of the population over fifteen years of age suffers from some chronic disease and 55% of those over eighteen are overweight.

Source: BOE, no. 277, November 6, 2026, Sec. I, p. 149190 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-23265).