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Buenos Aires Shuts 40 ‘Ghost’ Community Kitchens, Suspends 5,000 Rations

From January 2026, mandatory app use will enforce real-time registration to tighten traceability across the food-assistance network.

Overview

  • City audits covered more than 500 community kitchens with daily checks on sites and supplier companies.
  • Officials halted delivery of over 5,000 rations after inspectors found no justified recipients or verified handoffs.
  • A new digital system ties each meal to a beneficiary’s DNI, enabling real-time verification and reporting of irregularities.
  • Most closures occurred in southern neighborhoods, including Villa Soldati, Mataderos, Flores and Lugano, with cases in popular housing areas.
  • The assistance network serves roughly 250,000 residents through community kitchens, early-childhood centers, senior centers, shelters and the Ciudadanía Porteña program.