Five school canteens in La Rioja reported to the Ministry of Education the discovery of worm larvae in one of their menu items, which in all cases were removed before being served to students.

Sources in the regional government explained to EFE that an investigation has been launched to find out what happened and determine whether it could lead to legal action against Rioja school canteen concessionaire Serunión.

According to information provided by families from these centers of the Federation of Parents’ Associations (Fapa Rioja), in cases known to them, larvae were found in pasta dishes served in various community centers.

These are schools that are “highly separated from each other, in different locations, so we don’t know if there are more of them or if others have realized this before serving them,” although “what we can confirm is that children are not consumed food,” Esteban García, technical secretary of the federation, told EFE.

The organization has for years denounced what it considers poor-quality school cafeteria menus and has demanded the presence of cooks in learning centers rather than bringing in food prepared from outside.