With concern for students’ health and quality nutrition: answers to common questions
he official chatbot of the Ministry of Education regularly receives inquiries from parents and students regarding the organization of meals in educational institutions. With the start of the new academic year, the number of such inquiries has increased significantly. We have systematized the most popular ones and prepared detailed answers.
Key points that are important to know:
* One‑time meals are provided in the form of a second breakfast or an afternoon snack for students in the second shift; their caloric content is at least 20-25 % of the child’s daily physiological energy requirement.
* The monetary expenditure norms for food depend on the age and frequency of meals (single, two‑meal, three‑meal) for a student at an educational institution. In particular:
* the monetary expenditure norm for a second breakfast is 35%, for lunch – 50%, and for an afternoon snack – 15% of the corresponding daily food expenditure norm;
* if a student stays at the educational institution for 6 to 8 hours, two meals are provided (for example, in the first shift – the second breakfast and lunch are either lunch or afternoon tea, depending on the schedule of the educational process);
* for stays from 8 to 10.5 hours, an additional afternoon snack of 15% of the daily allowance is provided after the second breakfast and lunch.
These explanations have been prepared by the Ministry of Education based on the provisions of Resolution No. 317 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated April 27, 2013, “On Food Norms and Monetary Norms for Food Expenses for Students,” taking into account the amendments made by Resolution No. 400 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated August 5, 2026.
Where can I get detailed information?
Please note that you can always obtain up‑to‑date information about the organization of meals, the daily menu, and the specifics of applying monetary allowances in your educational institution in the following ways:
1. Directly from the administration of the educational institution (from the head or another teaching staff member responsible for meals).
2. From local executive and administrative bodies (regional executive committees, Minsk City Executive Committee, district and city executive committees) at your place of residence.
We continue to monitor inquiries in the chatbot and respond to them promptly. Additional useful explanations and news are always available on our official information resources of the Ministry of Education.