Food is brought to some schools in Mykolaiv in lunchboxes because there is no heating equipment, — director of the MPE-C

Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv Anatolii Petrov and Director of the municipal production enterprise for catering (MPE-C) in educational institutions of the city Petro Vasheniak explained why some schools receive food in pots, while others receive it in lunchboxes.

They announced this on 19 September during a briefing at the city council on the situation with food in Mykolaiv schools, a correspondent of NikVesti reports.

According to them, food is delivered in thermoses and pots to institutions that have equipment for heating meals. Instead, in schools without such equipment, food is delivered in lunchboxes.

«Why is it that one school delivers food in pots and another in disposable lunchboxes? Because it is an additional cost to purchase them. Who pays for them — the company or parents?» the journalist asked.

«Let me explain. Not all school canteens are equipped with equipment for heating food. Therefore, we deliver food in lunchboxes to such institutions. This applies to schools with 900 to 3,000 children,» said Petro Vasheniak, director of the utility company.

«Educational institutions should have marmites for the first and second courses. When food arrives in thermoses, it is transferred to pots that constantly maintain a temperature of about 50 degrees. But there are schools where there are no marmites, so the food cools down faster. In such cases, the food is delivered in lunchboxes. If the school is located close to the canteen, it helps to keep the food warm. Personally, I think that over time, we should switch to lunchboxes completely. This is my vision,» explained Deputy Mayor Anatolii Petrov.

«At whose expense?» the journalist asked.

«At the expense of the enterprise. All the tenders were held transparently, and the contracts can be reviewed,» replied Petro Vasheniak.

Deputy Mayor Anatolii Petrov also explained that it is currently impossible to deliver food in lunchboxes to all schools in Mykolaiv. Some institutions are provided with such meals, but a full transition requires a lot of resources and equipment.

«Why couldn't a system be introduced immediately so that all food is delivered to schools in these lunchboxes?» the journalist asks.

«I'll explain. Well, look, the first thing you need is a kitchen factory, and not just one. If we're talking about a city, I think there should be at least four in each district. This is a kitchen that should be equipped with modern equipment, where workers come, make preparations, pack them hermetically, using machines, and seal them. You understand that one kitchen has to produce about 8,000 portions. Then you need equipment to prepare it in the morning. All the schools where meals will be served have to buy cabinets that will heat these lunchboxes. This is a process. I think that within a year we will be able to achieve results. But I don't know how much it is, we haven't even counted millions. You've counted it? It's a lot, right? I think we can do it, but not in a year. I think that we can take this district, where the enterprise is located, where we have facilities, and at least Zavodskyi, part of the Central District, which is the closest. It will be a gradual transition, because it is very expensive,» added Anatolii Petrov.

The city council also noted that the costs of delivering food in lunchboxes are borne by the utility company that organises the meals.

«How much more expensive is it for a company to deliver food in lunchboxes?» the journalist asked.
«We won't pay more, so they have their own costs, they calculate them. Electricity and lunchboxes are their expenses,» added Anatolii Petrov.

Complaints about food in Mykolaiv schools

Earlier, parents of Mykolaiv schoolchildren expressed dissatisfaction with free meals on social media. According to them, the portions were smaller than normal, the meals were served cold, and the crockery in the school canteens was dirty.

Petro Vasheniak, director of the municipal production enterprise for catering in Mykolaiv educational institutions , said he had personally checked the situation, particularly at school 41, where parents complained about the amount of food on the plate. According to him, the portions were in line with the standards, but in the photo, part of the dish was hidden — for example, a chicken nugget was lying on top of potatoes.

Later, the State Food and Consumer Service of Mykolaiv stated that they had not received any complaints about poor quality food in the city's school canteens.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, responded to parents' complaints by saying that a special commission would be set up in the city with representatives of the city council to monitor the situation.

Following the incident, the Main Department of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Mykolaiv region checked the food served to children in 15 schools in the city. Experts analysed photo reports of the meals served to students.

It is known that in the new school year, all pupils from grades 1 to 11 will be provided with free meals in Mykolaiv schools. The funding for meals will be shared: up to 70% of the costs will be covered by the state, and the rest by the city budget.

It should be noted that at the last session, the deputies of the Mykolaiv City Council reallocated the city budget, including 14 million hryvnias for meals for children in the city's schools.

As a reminder, it was planned to spend 146.2 million hryvnias on meals for children in Mykolaiv schools by the end of this year. Earlier it was reported that school meals would rise in price from 1 September.