International seminar in Ukraine discusses school food and nutrition

Schools and educational institutions are considered fundamental settings for promoting health and establishing healthy eating and lifestyle patterns. An FAO-organized event today aims to strengthen the institutional processes behind school food and nutrition programmes and policies in Ukraine, in line with the country’s commitment to improving public health and nutrition.

A Strategy and Action Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development in Ukraine for the period 2015-2020 was endorsed recently.

Analysis conducted by a current FAO project, funded by Norway, shows that Ukraine does not have a comprehensive national framework for a sustainable and universal school food and nutrition programme that would provide meals in schools using locally produced foods and meeting specific nutritional requirements.

Representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Departments of education and science of various Regional State Administrations, Medved Research Center of preventive toxicology, food and chemical safety, Institute of pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology of National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, many Embassies as well as principals of the biggest Kyiv and regional general secondary schools are attending today’s seminar.

FAO, together with key national and international experts, has created a wide consultative group in order to understand the current status, needs and opportunities for improving school food and nutrition in Ukraine. It also aims to provide practical recommendations on how to organize the work of national and local authorities, and how to approach private business to overcome any possible food supply issues.

“In order to design and implement a school food and nutrition policy it is important to unite all concerned actors,” said Mikhail Malkov, coordinator of FAO development projects in Ukraine. “Meanwhile, one should understand that school is the ideal setting to improve eating behavior, nutritional knowledge, and children’s ability to make informed choices.”

“Our study found that teachers can influence only about 3 out of 100 children when it comes to their choice of food,” Malkov continued, “and eighty percent of kids do not know the requirements for storing food by product groups. This means that the top priority for the new programme is not just to change the menu, but to provide a wide national awareness campaign targeting both children and their parents.”

The format of today’s event is designed to illustrate existing tools and best practices worldwide and in the region related to school food and nutrition. Participants will also discuss the potential for sharing experiences and lessons learnt among regions and countries that have already implemented school meal programmes with FAO assistance.

The seminar is expected to conclude with a roadmap for improving the school food and nutrition system in Ukraine, including concrete proposals for cooperation.

28 November, 2017, Kiev, Ukraine