During the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko, a project for nutrition in institutions of general secondary education was discussed with all those interested.

The pilot project was launched by the Ministry of Education on December 19, 2022. It initially included 15 city schools and gymnasiums, as well as six schools in rural areas, then the geography expanded.

The experiment lasted until the end of the academic year. During this time, new cooking technologies were tested. Some principles of organizing school lunches have also changed.

The essence of the new approaches was that schoolchildren received their first meal later - approximately 3.5 hours after the start of classes, and the menu in the dining room has been improved taking into account the taste preferences of children.

The interdepartmental commission, created from specialized structures together with the regional executive committees, conducted a survey of children, teachers, and parents.

“More than 90% support the results we got. We have outlined specific approaches to extend the project to all schools,” said Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko.

As a result of the experiment, students began to leave food on their plates much less often, and schoolchildren liked the new dishes on the menu.

It was decided to introduce new principles of school meals in all educational institutions of the country. According to Igor Petrishenko, the work will proceed in stages, since schools need to be equipped in order to fully comply with the updated technological maps, and staff training is also important.

It had previously been noted that additional courses should be organized in this regard. There are colleges in Minsk that train specialists, and school catering plants can also be involved for this.

The task was set: by September 1, to conduct appropriate preparation and accept all tests in order to ensure the effective further implementation of this project in the new academic year. And it is necessary to include all mechanisms to ensure proper training of personnel.

“Some schools will switch to new approaches from September 1 this year. The second stage is scheduled from January 1, 2024, the third - from September 1, 2024,” the Deputy Prime Minister noted.

According to him, each region determines its own schedule for the transition to new approaches to school meals, depending on the readiness of specific schools.

Also, a pilot project “Healthy Buffet” was implemented in several schools in Minsk, where the assortment list, developed jointly with Belarusian scientists, was significantly expanded with healthy domestic products.

This project is planned to be extended to other educational institutions.

“I hope there will be less and less food issues, and the children, their parents, and teachers will be satisfied,” Igor Petrishenko expressed his wish.