First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska took part in the second Healthy Eating Festival of the year, held as part of the School Nutrition Reform in the Kyiv region.
“Such events are the voice of the School Nutrition Reform, a way to bring the main idea behind these changes to every community: let’s eat healthy not only at schools, where school lunches have already become much healthier as part of the reform, but also at home. Let’s make healthy food a good habit for every family, and as a result, for an entire generation of children who will grow up healthy thanks to this,” the President’s wife noted.
Together with Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy – Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, Minister of Health Viktor Liashko, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová, and Head of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative Allan Pagh Kristensen, Olena Zelenska visited four locations of the event.
At the Revne Lyceum of the Hirska community, participants learned about the results of the modernization of the school kitchen and modern approaches to organizing meals. Children and parents could take part in cooking workshops, including making cottage cheese pancakes and a healthy lunch, while high school students created their own ideal school menu.
At the Boryspil Lyceum “Leader,” children learned about the principles of healthy eating through creative, interactive, and culinary activities, while parents took part in a separate session dedicated to the role of the family in shaping healthy eating habits.
At the Boryspil Vocational College, participants were introduced to the culinary hub established in 2023. They learned about the training of specialists for the school meals system. The program included career guidance and practical workshops, a presentation of vocational education and retraining opportunities, as well as discussions on the challenges and prospects for the development of the School Nutrition Reform.
At the Shchaslyve Academic Lyceum, the program brought together cooking workshops, children’s quizzes, sports activities, dialogue with parents, conversations with nutritionists, as well as presentations of vocational education institutions and the kitchen factory.
“I am very much looking forward to Healthy Eating Festivals in other regions. Because each of them has its own unique spirit and its own ability to bring the main message to their communities: let’s raise our children healthy! They deserve the best life,” the First Lady emphasized.