This year, school meals will be offered to all students. The Academy of Education representative noted that this is one of the measures of social support for learners. «In the new academic year, meals will be offered to all students, which amounts to 1.025 million people in nearly 2,600 schools under the Education Ministry. Currently, the efforts of all state bodies, including the Education Ministry, the Healthcare Ministry, the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, and others, are focused on ensuring high-quality, safe and balanced nutrition for students,» Lyutsiya Mikhalkchuk said.

She noted that there is no legal requirement for students to eat meals at school. «If a child refuses to eat, no additional written statement from parents is required. A verbal notification to the class teacher or school administration is sufficient. However, we hope that every parent understands that their child needs to stay healthy and spends a long time at school, so hot meals are essential. Moreover, school meals are balanced, rational and healthy, both in terms of the chemical composition of the products used in cooking and the cooking methods themselves,» the department head emphasized.

For example, cooking methods include baking, stewing, steaming and simple boiling. The products and all raw ingredients used for meal preparation comply with the requirements of the Customs Union technical regulations, which set specific standards for children’s food products. Foods that do not meet the principles of child nutrition are not used in their meals.