One in three school cafeterias inspected in the Odesa region had violations

In nearly one out of every three schools in the Odesa region where school meals were inspected, inspectors found violations. That’s 116 schools out of 313, and the inspections are still ongoing.

This was reported by the press office of the Main Directorate of the State Food and Consumer Service in the Odesa region.

According to the service, specialists conducted unscheduled inspections at 313 general secondary education institutions. As of October 2, violations in the organization of school meals were found in 116 schools.

In addition, some school cafeterias were found to be in violation of sanitation and hygiene regulations.

Specialists from the State Food and Consumer Service are inspecting a cafeteria at one of the schools in the Odesa region. PHOTO: Main Directorate of the State Food and Consumer Service in the Odesa region

The results of the inspections were forwarded to the local government education departments. School administrators were instructed to rectify the deficiencies.

The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection says it will monitor whether they comply with this order.

Unscheduled inspections in the region began on September 7. At that time, parents filed numerous complaints about school meals and posted photos of school lunches on social media. In particular, the complaints concerned the menus at schools in the Nerubayska and Podilsk communities.

PHOTO: Main Directorate of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Odesa Oblast

According to Oleksandr Lonchak, director of the Department of Education and Science of the Odesa Regional State Administration, the majority of complaints came from parents in Odesa, as well as the Nerubayska and Tairovska communities.

During inspections, specialists examine, in particular:

• compliance with the approved menu and nutritional standards;
• proper storage of food items and storage conditions;
• meal schedules;
• the temperature of prepared meals before serving.

They also check the condition of equipment, refrigerators, and tableware, as well as whether cooks are wearing protective clothing and have undergone medical examinations. They pay special attention to how defect logs are maintained, where the quality of prepared meals is recorded.

Ірина Глухова