If a specialized menu appears in school canteens, the number of children with chronic diseases will decrease


The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation discussed the organization of meals for children in schools. According to available data, “80% of school graduates have chronic diseases, 20% of boys are overweight and 10% of them are diagnosed with obesity,” said Tatyana Butskaya, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children. In many ways, such sad statistics relate to the imperfection of the school food system – the lack of a special menu and the lack of an assortment of hot dishes, since not all schools have their own catering units. The school can cook itself, or it can receive supplies from the food factory.

When compiling the school menu, the opinion of parents must be considered. Some time ago, based on the Federal Center for Monitoring the Nutrition of Students, a digital platform for monitoring the quality of nutrition with the participation of parents was tested. At first, about 80 schools were connected to it, and from the new academic year 22/23 – all schools in the country. Parents have access to the school menu and can evaluate the diet on a point system. Toward the end of the year, the issue of launching a school meal rating will be raised, and now the concept of an electronic system is being built.

An online assessment of the quality of school meals may include several elements:

Establishment of the Nutrition Quality Control Commission with participation of parents,

Development of a special menu (therapeutic / dietary) in addition to the main menu,

Student survey,

Automated monitoring of compliance with SanPin standards,

Analysis of the amount of food waste and uneaten meals.

According to Andrei Dydykin, an expert on baby food from the Federal Scientific Center for Food Systems, “it is necessary to improve the school menu and introduce specialized children’s products into the diet – at least give them the opportunity to enter the basic menu of school canteens.”

General purpose raw materials are not always suitable for baby (school) food. Specialized raw materials differ in terms of safety and quality, including fat content (note – there is fat in every type of meat, and it is not good for children to consume a high content of saturated fats), protein and other criteria that distinguish it from raw materials for making dishes for adults’ population.

Source: Gorbatov’s All-Russian Meat Research Institute of the RAS