Starting September 1, Odessa plans to provide free meals to all schoolchildren

Starting September 1, 2026, Odessa plans to provide free meals to students in all grades. To this end, city officials are proposing to adjust meal costs in accordance with the new requirements of a government resolution and the age groups of the children. 

The corresponding decision was adopted at a meeting of the Odesa City Council’s Committee on Education, Sports, and Cooperation with Civil Society Organizations.

At the same time, the committee acknowledges that implementing this initiative will be challenging due to staff shortages, air raid alerts, and the risk of wasting budget funds.

As the director of the Department of Education explained, current prices for students in grades 1–4 will remain unchanged—75 hryvnias for breakfast and 86.5 hryvnias for lunch. However, for children aged 11–14 and 14–18, the cost of meals will increase to 85 and 95 hryvnias, respectively, since the nutritional requirements for older students are higher. The calculations were based on current food prices and suppliers’ quotes.

In addition, city officials are proposing to expand the list of children eligible for free meals in kindergartens. The plan is to include children whose parents have suffered serious injuries as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to the official, there are currently 45 such children in Odesa, and the cost of their meals will be fully covered by the local budget.

The plan is to finance the program with 70% from a state subsidy and 30% from the municipal budget. By the end of the year, according to preliminary estimates, the city will need an additional 50 million hryvnias to provide meals for schoolchildren.

At the same time, officials acknowledge that implementing the program presents a number of challenges. Due to staff reductions among cooks, constant air raid alerts, and the possibility of schools switching to remote learning, there is a risk that some of the prepared food will have to be discarded. There are also plans to further discuss the menu with parents and the possibility of prioritizing lunches over breakfasts, as breakfasts were the most frequent source of complaints.

To prepare for the new school year, the city plans to purchase additional equipment for school kitchens, including food warmers, as well as tables and benches to expand dining areas. Approximately 30 million hryvnias are expected to be allocated for these needs once the necessary funding is approved.

Last October, meal rates for schools and kindergartens were also reviewed. At that time, the daily cost of meals for children in kindergartens was: 80.97 hryvnias for children aged 1 to 4; and 102.58 hryvnias for children aged 4 to 7. In schools, the price of breakfast or lunch for students in grades 1–4 was 75 hryvnias, and for high school students—86.5 hryvnias.

Анна Бальчінос