On Friday, September 25, Vinnytsia, Vyshneve, Sheptytskyi, Lebedyn, and Zaporizhzhia signed memorandums with the Ministry of Infrastructure regarding the construction of five more central kitchens, according to Minister of Education and Science Andriy Butenko.
“These projects were selected by the Ministry of Infrastructure with the support of the European Investment Bank on a competitive basis. According to preliminary estimates, the new central kitchens will be able to provide meals to approximately 181 educational institutions—schools and kindergartens, particularly in rural areas,” Butenko wrote on his Telegram channel on Friday.
He emphasized that the school meal reform primarily concerns children’s health and the development of their eating habits.
“It is important that every child, regardless of where they live, has access to a nutritious hot meal. For small and rural schools, where it is difficult to set up their own kitchen, central kitchens can also be an effective solution. At the same time, this model allows communities to ensure consistent meal quality across the entire network of educational institutions,” the minister emphasized.
He also visited the first central kitchen in Bucha. This model enables the centralized preparation of high-quality, balanced lunches, ensures uniform meal standards, and makes more efficient use of community resources.
“We are working with communities to ensure schools are ready to work with such facilities. After all, it is important not only to prepare a high-quality lunch but also to deliver it on time, store it properly, and serve it to the children. That is why the Ministry of Education and Science is primarily directing the subsidy toward modernizing school cafeterias that receive ready-made, chilled meals in schools that are part of the network of central kitchens. “I am glad that more and more communities are choosing this model,” the minister concluded.
