In the Odesa region, school cafeterias will be addressed following complaints from parents

In the Odesa region, daily monitoring of school meal programs has begun following numerous complaints from parents. Inspections will focus not only on the quality of ingredients and prepared meals, but also on portion sizes, adherence to cooking procedures, and meal presentation.

This was announced by Oleksandr Lonchak, director of the Odesa Regional State Administration’s Department of Education and Science.

According to him, the most problems and complaints are currently being reported in the Nerubayska and Tairovska communities, as well as in Odesa. He has already ordered inspections to be conducted in those very areas where the most complaints from parents are being received.

“We will investigate not based on photos on social media, but directly with the responsible individuals and on-site,” Lonchak noted.

He also mentioned the situation in Podilsk. According to the official, he was assured there that the issue raised by parents had already been resolved. This now needs to be verified on site.

On the other hand, Lonchak cited the communities of Kiliya, Fontanka, Krasnosilsk, Chornomorsk, Kuyalnik, and Velyka Mykhailivka as good examples of well-organized school meal programs.

At the same time, the official emphasized that the monitoring will not focus on whether each child likes a particular dish. According to him, attention will be paid to the quality of the ingredients, adherence to cooking procedures, portion sizes, food safety, and presentation.

He added that they will also inspect the table settings and the overall organization of meal service. These inspections are planned to be conducted without prior notice.

The director of the Department of Education urged parents to continue reporting problems with school meals and to share positive examples.

Recently, parents of schoolchildren in the Odesa region began posting photos of school lunches on social media and complaining about the organization of school meals.

In particular, one parent described the situation at Rozdilna City Lyceum No. 4.

“This is the portion; my daughter didn’t eat any of it at all—the rice was overcooked, the meat was raw and bloody—and by weight, this is definitely not up to standard. The menu listed pilaf, along with an apple and juice,” she wrote.

At the same time, other parents praised the meal service at the Znam’yansky Lyceum in the Berezivsky District and the Radisne “Berezka” Preschool.

Parents also noted that the lyceum in Kholodna Balka is served by the same supplier—"Fabrika Smaku"—as the institutions with positive reviews, yet the situation there is significantly different.

School lunches posted by students’ parents

Ірина Глухова