Mykolaiv schools receive recommendations on safe nutrition

In the Mykolaiv region, the food in 15 schools in the city was checked and recommendations were given on how to prepare meals and serve fruit.

This was reported by the press service of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Mykolaiv region.

The Main Directorate of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Mykolaiv region continues to inspect the catering in the city's schools, which is carried out by the Municipal Production Enterprise for the organization of catering for educational institutions.

As of September 9, 2025, they analyzed photos of ready-made meals in 15 general secondary education institutions and provided recommendations on compliance with cooking technology and serving rules:

• Six schools (lyceums #38, #19, #34 and gymnasiums #4, #23, #56) were given advice on how to prepare Chicken Nuggets.
• Four schools (gymnasiums #29, #46, #47 and lyceum #28) were given recommendations for a carrot and apple salad with vinaigrette sauce.
• Seven institutions (gymnasiums No. 4, 23, 31, 56 and lyceums No. 2, 22, 34) were reminded of the correct serving of fruit.

The control is designed to ensure compliance with nutrition and safety standards for schoolchildren.

On September 8, Mykolaiv schools started providing free meals for students in grades 5-11. There are 64 schools in the city: 13 of them teach students fully remotely, while the rest teach in person or in a mixed format. Previously, only primary school students received free meals at the expense of the state subvention and partially from the city budget, but now all students are provided with free meals. The state covers the bulk of the costs (up to 70%), and the rest is covered by the city budget.

While last year about 8,000 students received free meals, this year almost 21,000 do: about 8,000 in elementary school, 9,000 in grades 5-8, and 4,000 in high school.

In March, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the allocation of a state subvention to improve the quality of hot meals for primary school students in Mykolaiv Oblast. UAH 6.57 million has been allocated for this purpose, which will be used to modernize school canteens, purchase quality products and bring catering to modern standards.

The funding is supported by the UN World Food Program and will be distributed among 26 local communities in the region.

Анна Бальчінос