First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska visited Prylymanskyi Lyceum, where the school kitchen has been renovated and a shelter built with the support of UNICEF and the DECIDE project. The school hosted a Healthy Eating Festival as part of the School Nutrition Reform.
“Events like this have already been held in the Kyiv region, Bukovyna, and Khmelnytskyi region. Children, parents, teachers, and professional chefs come together to talk about something important in a fun and engaging setting: how our eating habits affect our health. After all, the goal of the School Nutrition Reform is to encourage an entire generation to choose high-quality, healthy food,” Olena Zelenska said.
The lyceum hosted workshops on cooking healthy dishes, mini-competitions in making shawarma, and an exhibition of children’s drawings on the theme “Healthy Eating Through Children’s Eyes.”
The festival continued in Odesa, where teams of parents and children, joined by chefs from local establishments, competed in preparing healthy dishes. The Museum of Interesting Science presented its “Science of Healthy Eating” show, while Odesa National University of Technology held workshops on “Sweets Without Excess Sugar,” “The Healthy Eating Plate,” and preparing healthy rolls and sandwiches.
In addition, at a special meeting, Head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper spoke about the results of implementing the School Nutrition Reform in the region. According to him, more than 450 educational institutions prepare fresh lunches in their own school kitchens; another 18 receive food from hub kitchens, while in 15 institutions children eat at another educational institution. Three culinary hubs operate in the region, providing regional training for specialists. Nearly 2,100 cooks have already completed professional development courses.
“I’m glad to be in Odesa today, to see the people of Odesa and speak with students, parents, and teachers on the occasion of this new festival. Especially since, starting this school year, all students in the region and across the country – from first through 11th grade – will receive free lunches as part of the reform. So now it is important that all the other food in a child’s life catch up with school meals – in affordability, quality, freshness, and nutritional value. That is exactly what we are talking about at these festivals,” Olena Zelenska said.