The kitchen factory for providing high-quality fresh food to educational institutions in Bucha and nearby communities presented by First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska in September 2022 received the necessary prerequisites for the start of construction work.
In particular, contractors were found and approved: four companies participated in the general designer's tender. A contractor and a company that will carry out technological supervision have been selected.
A detailed technological project, specification of the necessary equipment has been developed. The tender for the selection of a supplier of technological equipment is ongoing. 31 schools from three territorial communities were audited.
The kitchen factory project is part of the reform of school meals in Ukraine that began before the Russian attack. In its framework, together with the Ministry of Regional Development, three options for the organization of meals at the school were developed:
1. Full cycle kitchen (in educational institutions where there is economic feasibility and technical and technological possibility, everything is cooked on site from scratch).
2. Hub kitchens (food is transported from one powerful kitchen to neighboring schools).
3. Factory kitchen (a large volume of supply, a separate building in which food is cooked, shock freezed and transported to many schools). Such a kitchen factory can prepare 10,000 portions. In this way, water and electricity costs are saved. And the supply of food to children becomes systematized, safe and of high quality.
"Yes, our reform of school meals is returning in wartime, because it is within its limits that we planned to build powerful enterprises that will feed not one institution, but a number of them. And this is part of our plan for the restoration of Ukraine, because it must be started now," Olena Zelenska said.
The patron of the project is Howard Buffett, an American philanthropist and businessman, the son of the famous investor Warren Buffett.
"Mr. Buffett told me he wants to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine. We decided to start with education, moreover in the de-occupied region, which suffered the most from the Russian invaders," the First Lady said.
The main consumers of the products of the new kitchen factory will be schools and pre-school education institutions of Bucha and three communities: Bucha, Nemishajeve, Borodyanka. Production capacity can be reconfigured or expanded to meet the nutritional needs of all segments of the population. In particular, the enterprise will be able to feed temporarily displaced persons and local residents.
It is expected that the kitchen factory in Bucha will become a pilot project, and in the future the network of kitchen factories will be extended to the entire territory of Ukraine. Each of them will be able to provide food for 30-40 educational institutions. The educational network in Ukraine includes 14,000 schools and 10,000 preschool institutions.
Olena Zelenska thanked Howard Buffett's team, the National Foodservice Association and everyone involved in the pilot project of the kitchen factory in Bucha and called on potential investors to join the reconstruction of Ukraine, which has already begun.
It is expected that the installation of equipment and training of personnel will start in the summer of 2023. The kitchen factory in Bucha will start working on September 1, 2023.