In the Odesa region, 148 orders were issued regarding school meals

In the Odesa region, specialists from the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection conducted unscheduled inspections of the organization of meals for children in educational institutions. Based on the results of the inspections, 148 orders were issued to school and kindergarten administrators requiring them to rectify the identified violations of sanitary legislation.

This was reported by the Main Directorate of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Odesa Oblast. 

The large-scale inspections were launched in accordance with an order from the Prime Minister of Ukraine and joint directives from the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection and the Ministry of Health.

As of October 2, specialists had conducted unscheduled inspections at 313 general secondary education institutions. At that time, violations in the organization of school meals were found in 116 schools—that is, in nearly one out of every three educational institutions. In addition, some school kitchens were found to be in violation of sanitary and hygiene regulations.

The unscheduled inspections in the region began on September 7. At that time, parents complained en masse 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. Experts are inspecting not only the quality of ingredients and prepared meals but also portion sizes, adherence to cooking techniques, and food presentation.

Oleksandr Lonchak, director of the Department of Education and Science of the Odesa Regional State Administration, urged parents to report problems with school meals and to share positive examples.

Юлія Калабайда