Like in Belarus
In the fall of 2022, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko sharply criticized school meals. Complaints were mostly about the menu. He called the school food tasteless and monotonous. The head of government noted that children do not always finish their meals. And in December, a pilot project was launched in Belarus. It concerns 21 schools: three in Minsk, and the same number in each of the six regions of the country.
The essence of the project is simple: the first meal will take place three and a half hours after the start of classes, that is, instead of breakfast there will be lunch.
As explained by the Ministry of Education, students come to school after having breakfast at home. Now food in school canteens should be not only useful, but also in demand by children. The assortment of dishes is formed taking into account the results of a survey of parents and students. The appearance of new dishes and confectionery products is planned. It is planned to analyze the results of the pilot project – perhaps the organization of meals for schoolchildren will be revised throughout Belarus.
The project started in mid-December, but it is clear that it was not launched in vain. Zhanna Davidovich, principal of secondary school N 121 in Minsk, says:
- We work from 8:00 a.m., and now the children start eating from 11:30 a.m. This is the first novelty. Second, the guys now have two menu options: lunch #1 without the first course and lunch #2 with the first course plus a choice of side. Schoolchildren can familiarize themselves with the two-week menu in advance through the Telegram channel and the school chat bot. Comments and suggestions are welcome. We see that now even those who have not eaten in our canteen are starting to come.
According to the director, the new dish “Master of Taste” (brioche, peasant sausages, ketchup) is the most requested. In second place, the dumplings. Children like everything cooked with chicken, but not cutlets, but, for example, thigh or drumstick.
At Gymnasium No. 1 in Vitebsk, they noticed that the late hour of the visit to the dining hall stimulated the appetite. Schoolchildren will appreciate the novelties: chicken skewers, poultry nuggets, meatballs with cheese, meatballs with original sauce. Mashed potatoes remain a favorite hit. The menu compilers listened to the request of schoolchildren who want to see vegetable salads on the table every day.
The average student lunch now looks like this: salad, hot dish, drink. As a bonus – marshmallows, marmalade or a bun.
Smoked sausages, pickled vegetables, spicy sauces, vinegar, scrambled eggs, marinated pasta are prohibited in Russian schools
Chefs are ready to fulfill the wishes of children, but subject to the rules of rational nutrition. Buffet products should not violate these rules either. Scientists participated in the implementation of the pilot project. Specialists of the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus offered their developments (products with low sugar and salt content, without pungent spices, but no less tasty). For example, an analogue of corn sticks of different components, bars, low-protein snacks, low-oil fries, calcium-enriched multigrain biscuits. Even glazed curds can now be produced with a reduced sugar content.
