The First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska summarized the annual results of the School Nutrition Reform she initiated. The year-end meeting was attended by 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 of the International School Meals Coalition, hosted by Ukraine for the first time in November. Our guests – more than 500 European officials and experts – have never seen such reforms in times of war,” the President's wife noted.
The meeting addressed the results in achieving each of the four strategic goals of Reform:
1.
Financial and institutional capacity of communities
One of the key tasks was to provide free meals to primary school students.
In the first six months of this year, the UN World Food Program supported schools in 13 regions of Ukraine by financing 30% of the cost of daily hot meals for 90,000 primary school students. Since the beginning of the new school year, the program has been expanded to cover the cost of lunches for 160,000 children in 16 regions.
In October, the government introduced free one-time meals for students in grades 1-4. For this purpose, on the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 2 billion UAH were allocated from the budget.
2.
Modernization of school kitchen and canteen infrastructure
Almost 20% of kitchens in educational institutions have been renovated. This year, UAH 1.5 billion was allocated from the state budget for the renovation of kitchen facilities.
An innovative solution to optimize catering services was launched in Bucha, Kyiv region, with the first kitchen factory in Ukraine. Every day it prepares 7.5 thousand meals for 16 educational institutions. The construction of the second kitchen factory is underway in Lozova, Kharkiv region.
3.
Developing human resources
This year, more than 4,200 school cooks received specialized training. 21 culinary hubs have been established in 15 regions to provide effective training. They are training centers that combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills.
4.
Communication on healthy eating
With the support of UNICEF in Ukraine, a communication campaign was launched to create a culture of healthy eating among children and their parents/guardians.
In August, the second wave of the all-Ukrainian communication campaign “What Matters is Inside” was launched to promote healthy and high-quality food choices among teenagers instead of less healthy alternatives. The second wave of the campaign reached nearly 7 million people.
“Our fourth goal is global. We want Ukrainians to make healthy food choices consciously. We want healthy habits to be developed from childhood. But, of course, it will take many campaigns and educational efforts to change the eating habits of the entire nation,” the President's wife said.
Olena Zelenska thanked the international partners involved in the reform. These include UNICEF, the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, the UN World Food Program, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE – “Decentralization for Improved Democratic Education”, the Ukrainian-Swiss project “Act for Health”, the European Investment Bank, and the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI).
The First Lady also urged the audience to be active in the coming year. Reform priorities for 2025 include scaling up the experience to all communities in the country, and gradually expanding the free school meals program.
“This year, I have seen some very good examples of how communities work when they are proactive – involving local farmers and businesses, taking into account regional specificities. And most importantly, when they are not formal, but human in their approach,” she concluded.
The School Nutrition Reform in Ukraine began at the initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska in 2020. Its main goal is to provide students of educational institutions with a balanced and healthy diet, as well as to promote a culture of healthy eating among children and their families.