Coop Ukraine Leads the Reform of the School Food System

The scientists of the cooperative institution of higher education of Ukraine - Poltava University of Economics and Trade (PUET) are among the invited leading experts in the field of nutrition to design and implement the reform of Ukraine’s national school nutrition system.

On October 23, 2023 the government of Ukraine formally approved the reform of the school food system, as part of the National Strategy for Building a Safe and Healthy Educational Environment in the New Ukrainian School. In order to provide the students with food and drinks that meet the principles of healthy nutrition, in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, experts of the Office of Reforms invited the specialists from universities who are leaders in the field of nutrition to join the reform process. Among the invited are scientists from PUET.

The national strategy for reforming the school nutrition system is designed for 2023 – 2027, with the following key directions:

organization of high-quality and safe food: procurement and financing;
restoration and modernization of food blocks: a comprehensive approach;
compliance with the requirements of the HACCP system;
development of personnel potential;
introduction of new food standards, menus, as well as the formation of a culture of healthy eating. 

The co-op experts joined this process even before the legislative regulation of reforming the school meals, because PUET has been training food technologists for many years, and especially procurement specialists, in particular food products, are trained there as part of the country’s first educational program "Public Procurement".

Moreover, Poltava University of Economics and Trade was the first in Ukraine to open the "School of HACCP" and launched a series of trainings on the implementation of the HACCP system for educational institutions. University teachers joined the work of the Office of Reforms by creating new recipe books for schools. They participated as trainers in the School Chef's Training Hubs Development Project, which involves the creation of culinary hubs in the Ternopil, Odesa and Poltava Regions, and also joined the working group of the Office of Reforms of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

As an education and scientific institution, Poltava University of Economics and Trade carries out scientific research in these areas, in parallel to educational activities, thanks to their expert capacity. This makes PUET one of the leading expert institutions in the school menu reform, and in collaboration with the State, the university distributes the information among parents, children and chefs.

In addition to the scientific and practical support of the reform, the PUET scientists joined the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and held trainings, including seminars for children and parents, enterprises and local communities of the Poltava Region. PUET developed and successfully implemented the "Healthy Food Festival" Program in schools of Poltava and the wider region.