First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska visited the Odesa region to review the implementation of the school nutrition reform, which she initiated.
The press tour, attended by journalists, also included Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba, Head of Kyiv Regional Military Administration Ruslan Kravchenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Andrii Stashkiv, Deputy Minister of Economy Tetiana Berezhna, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine Munir Mammadzade, representative of the Swiss-Ukrainian project DECIDE Valentyna Poltorak, Director-General of the Directorate for Professional Education Iryna Shumik, Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Oleh Kiper, and Head of the School Nutrition Reform Team Orest Stepaniak.
During the trip, participants explored models for organizing children's nutrition and discussed the role of education in ensuring the necessary number of specialists and the impact on the economy.
They visited the "Karamelka" kindergarten, where the "basic kitchen" model is implemented. Here, meals are prepared exclusively for the kindergarten’s children, ensuring four meals daily for about 90 children.
Next, they visited Prylymanskyi Lyceum, where comprehensive renovations of the kitchen and dining area are underway, funded by a state subvention. A basic kitchen will soon be launched here as well. Currently, 400 students receive hot meals prepared at Avanhard Lyceum, which operates the "hub kitchen" model. This model caters to educational institutions that, for various reasons, cannot maintain their own basic kitchens.
The participants also visited the Odesa Center for Vocational Education, home to one of three culinary hubs in the region. Here, students study to become cooks, and school cafeteria workers undergo retraining.
Additionally, a video conference was held with two other centers: the Danube Center for Vocational Education and the Northern Center for Vocational Education, where more than 800 school kitchen workers have completed training over the past year.
"Your work – what we saw today and even what we didn’t see – is also a form of defense. I want you to understand that. You’re not just preparing school meals – right now, you’re providing stability for entire families," said the First Lady. Olena Zelenska noted that the results of the school nutrition reform would be presented at the European Regional School Nutrition Summit, set to take place on November 12–13 in Kyiv.
"We have much to share because no one has implemented such a reform during a time of defense. That’s why every piece of feedback – from the press, parents, cooks, and everyone who cares about the well-being of children – is so important to our team. Now, more than ever, we must safeguard their resilience, their ability to learn and live. And a proper school meal is one key component of our care," concluded the First Lady.