Eating food brought from home at a beach club? It’s a “thorny” issue, because on one hand there’s a matter of decorum and on the other of freedom. On other occasions, on these pages, we have argued that it would be appropriate to set up, within beach facilities, areas that could be dedicated to “packed lunch”, offering a “democratic” service to those who cannot afford to pay extra costs or simply need to eat certain foods due to allergies, intolerances or specific diets, also considering that beach clubs mostly occupy areas under public concession and not private property.

The issue had to come to a head sooner or later, and it happened in Puglia. Here the associations of beach facility operators have launched a war against packed lunches. “An unwritten rule and contrary to any kind of common sense that from Salento, to the coast of Bari or Taranto, is spreading terror among beachgoers who find themselves having to hide to eat,” reads Tgcom. And the response to their positions came directly from the president of the Region, Antonio Decaro, who in a video shared on social media in defense of beachgoers stated: “The cost of loungers is already exorbitant”.

It all started in Vieste, in Gargano, where a woman with two children had hidden sandwiches inside her bag to escape checks by beach club staff. Decaro’s position had sparked a response from Nicola Ragno, president of Assoturismo Foggia, who had stated that: “President Decaro refers to the simple consumption of a ‘sandwich’, almost wanting to represent an occasional and marginal gesture. The reality is quite different. In most cases we see the introduction of actual full meals: pasta, main courses, fruit, sweets, drinks and all kinds of food, transforming the equipped areas of the facilities into spaces for consumption that have nothing to do with the concept evoked in the regional statements. This situation inevitably creates problems in terms of hygiene, waste management, decorum, cleanliness of common areas and the overall organization of services that beach operators guarantee daily with economic investments and dedicated staff”.

Decaro in turn had argued that: “I really think we’re not getting this right: the cost of umbrellas and loungers is already exorbitant. But then in the name of supposed decorum, can we ask anyone who chooses a beach facility to eat only and exclusively at the bar and restaurant of that facility?” And he added: “The rules in Puglia on decorum have existed since 2019: it is forbidden on the beach to use single-use plastic. So anyone who brings food from home can only use biodegradable cutlery and dishes. The rest just seems like an ‘elegant’ way of saying: consume from us or nothing”.