“The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, summarized the annual results of the school nutrition reform, which she initiated. A final meeting was held with the participation of all relevant ministries.”, — write: www.president.gov.ua
The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, summarized the annual results of the school nutrition reform, which she initiated. A final meeting was held with the participation of all relevant ministries.
“We heard a lot of sincere admiration for the progress of the reform from international guests from all over the world, when we presented it at the European regional summit within the framework of the international School Meals Coalition, which Ukraine hosted for the first time in November. Our guests – more than 500 European officials and experts – have not seen such reforms during the war,” said the President’s wife.
At the meeting, the results of achieving each of the four strategic goals of the reform were discussed:
1.
Financial and institutional capacity of communities
One of the key tasks is to provide free meals to elementary school students.
In the first six months of this year, the UN World Food Program provided support to schools in 13 regions of Ukraine, financing 30% of the cost of daily hot lunches for 90,000 children. primary school students. Since the new academic year, the program has been expanded, and thanks to this, it was possible to compensate the cost of lunches for already 160,000 students. children in 16 regions.
In October, the government introduced free one-time meals for students in grades 1-4. For this, on the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, UAH 2 billion was allocated from the budget.
2.
Modernization of the infrastructure of school kitchens and canteens
About 20% of canteens in educational institutions have been repaired. This year, UAH 1.5 billion was allocated from the state budget for the renewal of food blocks.
An innovative solution for optimizing the organization of catering is the first kitchen factory in Ukraine, which started operating in Bucha, Kyiv region. 7.5 thousand are prepared there every day. portions for 16 educational institutions. The construction of the second kitchen factory is underway in Lozova, Kharkiv region.
3.
Development of personnel potential
This year, more than 4,200 school canteen cooks underwent special training. For effective training of specialists, 21 culinary hubs were created in 15 regions. These are training centers that combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills.
4.
Communication about healthy eating
Thanks to the support of UNICEF in Ukraine, it was possible to implement a communication campaign aimed at forming a culture of healthy eating among children and their parents / guardians.
In August, the second wave of the all-Ukrainian communication campaign “The main thing is what’s inside” started, which helps teenagers learn to choose healthy and high-quality products instead of their less healthy alternatives. During the second wave of the campaign, it was possible to reach almost 7 million people.
“Our fourth goal is global. We want Ukrainians to consciously choose healthy food. So that healthy habits are formed in childhood. However, of course, a lot of campaigns and education will be needed to change the eating habits of the entire country,” the President’s wife said.
Olena Zelenska thanked the international partners of the reform. Among them are UNICEF, the WHO Office in Ukraine, the UN World Food Program, the Howard Buffett Foundation, the Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE project – “Decentralization for the development of democratic education”, the Ukrainian-Swiss project “Acting for Health”, the European Investment Bank, the Anti-Corruption EU initiative EUACI.
Separately, the first lady called on the participants of the meeting to actively act next year. The priority tasks of the reform for 2025 are scaling to all communities of the country and gradual expansion of the program of free meals for schoolchildren.
“This year, I saw very good examples of the work of communities when they act proactively – involving local farmers, businesses, taking into account regional characteristics. And the most important thing is when they approach not formally, but humanely,” she concluded.
School meal reform in Ukraine began in 2020 at the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska. Its main goal is to provide students of educational institutions with a balanced and healthy diet, as well as to popularize the culture of healthy eating among children and their families.
